Three quick keys to Seahawks vs. Raiders in Week 12

The Seahawks are 6-4 entering Week 12. The Raiders are 3-7. Three key statistics might show how Seattle will win the game on Sunday.

Seattle needs to win in Week 12. I guess that the Raiders do too but let’s be real. They are cooked when it comes to making the postseason. Head coach Joshy Boy McDaniels has never been a good head coach and never will be.

Thankfully, the Seahawks have a good head coach. Pete Carroll is the best coach in franchise history and would be the best in most franchises’ histories. Some think Carroll is “old” and can’t win in important moments any more. The truth is, the term “winner” fits Carroll better than the word old does. And there are three key statistics by a well-coached team that show why the Seahawks should be victorious in Week 12.

3 statistics that might determine the outcome of Seahawks versus Raiders

Statistic 1: Raiders have just 13 sacks

Not only does Las Vegas have only 13 sacks this year but 9 are by Maxx Crosby. So the Raiders have one guy who ranks fifth in the NFL in sacks and yet the team overall is last. That’s a bit insane. The Raiders are also 28th in pressures (66) and 27th in pressure percentage (18.7).

All this means is that Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith should have time to throw on Sunday. This could also mean that DK Metcalf has his most productive game of the season, too. And finally, Seattle could have a bunch of explosive plays as Smith will have time to throw and Metcalf will have time to get open down the field.

Statistic 2: Seahawks are 11th in missed tackles

Seattle, it seems, either has games where they look fundamentally sound and near a mid-2010s level of excellence against weeks where they miss tackles on the outside and allow opposing teams to pick up chunk yards. This has certainly happened in every loss they have had and also occurred when Seattle defeated the Lions in Week 4 when Detroit scored 45 points.

Missed tackles, simply put, will get a team beaten. And the issue isn’t just that the Seahawks have a group of rookies that might not be as good with technique. Veteran Qunadre Diggs has missed 9.8 percent of his attempted tackles this season. Linebacker Darrell Taylor has missed 17.6 percent of his attempted tackles. If this continues against the Raiders, it could be the reason Las Vegas wins.

Statistic 3: Raiders are fourth-worst in third-down conversions allowed

My feeling is that the Seahawks should be able to score on long runs and passes. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett should be able to create havoc in the Las Vegas secondary. But Seattle’s offense should also benefit from the Raiders not being able to get teams off the field on third down either.

Las Vegas offensively leads the league in average time used per drive at 3:07 so you’d think they would control time of possession quite a bit. This isn’t the case. The Raiders have by far the fewest drives in the NFL with 96. The reason this happens is other teams are able to keep their own drives alive and a huge part of that is converting third downs. Seattle’s offense can dominate in Week 12 and should either with explosive plays or by controlling the clock.