The Seattle Seahawks need a victory in Week 10. The team is 5-4, but three games behind the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC West lead. A loss to the Las Vegas Raiders would cripple Seattle's playoff hopes.
The team will be without defensive lineman Leonard Williams, quarterback Sam Darnold, left tackle Charles Cross, and left guard Quenton Nelson. Williams might be the toughest obstacle to overcome, though Josh Jones has been solid in taking his spot.
But to find out more about what to expect in Week 10 against former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and his new team in Vegas, we asked six questions to Raiders expert Levi Dombro of FanSided's Just Blog Baby. Will his answers give 12s hope in Week 10? Maybe.
Preview of Seahawks-Raiders in Week 10 with Just Blog Baby's Levi Dombro
12th Man Rising: What should Raiders fans truly expect from Fernando Mendoza in his first career start, especially against a difficult defense?
Dombro: Fans should have zero expectations, only hopes. And against a difficult defense, all Raider Nation should be hoping for is a few great plays from the young player that signal to the franchise that they have their guy. Anything on top of that is just gravy.
Our take: Head coach Mike Macdonald is 4-0 against rookie quarterbacks in their first starts since he joined Seattle. That should be 5-0 against Vegas, but Mendoza is dangerous. The Raiders will just need time to adjust to him being QB1.
12th Man Rising: How happy are fans and the organization with Klint Kubiak, and do you think Vegas has finally found its next long-term head coach?
Dombro: Kubiak is already beloved by the fans and organization. He has brought a no-nonsense attitude and commitment to the work that has long been missing in Las Vegas and Oakland. The offense has been cooking with a 38-year-old Cousins at quarterback, no run game to speak of, and limited talent at wide receiver, and fans attribute that to the Kubiak scheme and play-calling, as they should. Hopefully, he is around for a long time.
Our take: Seahawks fans know all about the excellence of Kubiak. In one season, he found a way to use Sam Darnold to the quarterback's best, and 2026 would have been better offensively with Kubiak. He will be great for Vegas, and hopefully, Darnold can pick up his play in the second half of the season under new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury.
12th Man Rising: Seattle will start Drew Lock, but what weakness does the Raiders’ defense have that Lock might be able to take advantage of?
Dombro: Listing the Raiders’ weaknesses would take eons. Drew Lock will have all day to throw to open receivers, and he can lean on a run game that will pound the rock with little resistance. It is an opportunistic group that will capitalize with takeaways at times, but this defense has been a disaster for the last six weeks. Until something changes, I have zero faith.
Our take: The hope is that Lock once again has a game where he doesn't turn the ball over. Even a weak Raiders defense could take advantage if Lock has an off game. The Seahawks might need to rely on running backs Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet to be successful, and that would be just fine.
12th Man Rising: If you were a Seahawks fan, what would be your biggest concern about this Vegas team in Week 10?
Dombro: As a Seahawks fan, I would worry about the unknown of Fernando Mendoza. It is always hard to play a backup or a player that you have little film on, but Mendoza isn’t your typical second-stringer. If he gets hot and starts feeling it, then that is really the wild card in this game. And those tight ends are tough to cover.
Our take: Good point about the tight ends. While Seattle and Nick Emmanwori were able to keep Cardinals tight end Trey McBride under control in Week 9, Vegas has more weapons than Arizona. The Raiders could change the narrative of the game with elite tight end play.
12th Man Rising: Which unsung Raiders player has stood out the most this season and why?
Dombro: Right tackle DJ Glaze has taken a ginormous step forward this season. Fans were pissed that the Raiders didn’t add competition for him after he gave up 10 sacks last year and looked generally a mess, but he has been among the very best offensive tackles in the league this year. He has arguably been the most consistent player up front for Las Vegas - more so than Tyler Linderbaum or Kolton Miller.
Our take: Leonard Williams won't play again in Week 10, so Seattle will need to find a way to have success against the Raiders' offensive line. If Fernando Mendoza has success in his first game because of a lack of pressure in his face, the Las Vegas O-line deserves an A for the game.
12th Man Rising: What is your prediction for what happens in Week 10?
Dombro: I think the Raiders will lose, but it won’t be a blowout. Mendoza will make some rookie mistakes, but Lock is bound to make a few as well (I hope). I could see this being a 30-20 type of game where it is more competitive than the final score shows.
Our take: The Seattle Seahawks need a win before the bye week. Losing to the Raiders and being 5-5 is a good way to miss the playoffs. In fact, if Seattle loses in Week 10, the offseason might be the priority, not the postseason.
Add us as a preferred source on Google