The Seattle Seahawks need a victory in Week 10 on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders. The game will be the first career start for Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza, and some non-Seahawks fans might tune in just to see how things unfold.
In Week 11, Seattle has a bye week, so defeating the 4-5 Vegas team and getting some rest at 6-4 is a must. The Seahawks already trail the San Francisco 49ers by three games in the NFC West race and can't afford to fall further behind.
The game in Vegas can be tricky, though. Seattle isn't playing at a level where it can assume any wins, especially against a team that is going to be fully supportive of its new quarterback.
3 concerns the Seattle Seahawks should have in Week 10 against the Raiders
The unknown of Fernando Mendoza
Rookies getting their first starts against a Mike Macdonald Seahawks team are 0-4, and that includes guys like Caleb Williams in 2024. Mendoza was the top pick in the 2026 draft for a reason. He has all the tools needed to be great throwing the ball, and he is an effective runner.
He will also have the Vegas fan base fully behind him, and that could inspire him to play his best possible game, given how much experience he has. Playing on the road in Seattle would have been much more difficult.
Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak will also have the best possible game plan ready for the rookie, and that means not taking too many chances. A deep pass or three cannot be ruled out, though, so the Seahawks have to be ready for whatever. Seattle has no NFL game tape to watch on Mendoza, but Mendoza has Kubiak on his side and a half-season of Seahawks football to study.
Covering the Raiders' tight ends
Vegas tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer are the Raiders' top receiving threats, with only running back Ashton Jeanty catching more passes (42) than Mayer (39). Bowers has 48. Wide receiver Tre Tucker has speed and is averaging an average number of receptions, but it is the TEs making the offense go.
This is likely to be even more the case in Week 10 as Mendoza will feel comfort in targeting the bigger, safer tight ends.
The Seahawks aren't as awful as in previous seasons at covering the position group, but they have allowed the 11th-most catches (50) to tight ends. That number could exceed 60 after facing Bowers and Mayer.
Drew Lock's luck
One reason that the Seattle Seahawks offense has been more efficient with Lock behind center is that Lock hasn't turned the ball over in the three games he has taken all or the majority of snaps. He has also faced the poor Arizona Cardinals in two of those games, so getting a read on how well Lock has played is more difficult.
Lock could have thrown an interception in Week 9, though, but the pass went directly through a Cardinals defender into the hands of wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Eventually, Lock will toss an interception because all quarterbacks do, but hopefully he doesn't have a rash of them against a Raiders secondary that isn't very good.
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