by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Aug 11, 2021
Game time: 9 p.m. ET; Aug. 14, 2021
Venue: Allegiant Stadium; Las Vegas, NV
Where to listen: NFL Game Pass, Westwood One, Sirius XM
2020 season results
Seahawks: 12-4 (1st place, NFC West; lost wild card vs. Los Angeles)
Raiders: 8-8 (2nd place, AFC West)
Statistical leaders in 2020
Seahawks:
Passing: Russell Wilson -- 4,212 yards, 40 touchdowns, 13 interceptions
Rushing: Chris Carson -- 681 yards, 5 touchdowns
Receiving: D.K. Metcalf -- 1,303 yards, 10 touchdowns
Tackles: Bobby Wagner (138)
Sacks: Jamal Adams (9.5)
Interceptions: Quandre Diggs (5)
Raiders:
Passing: Derek Carr -- 4,103 yards, 27 touchdowns, 9 interceptions
Rushing: Josh Jacobs -- 1,065 yards, 12 touchdowns
Receiving: Darren Waller -- 1,196 yards, 9 touchdowns
Tackles: Jonathan Abram (86)
Sacks: Maxx Crosby (7)
Interceptions: Jeff Heath (3)
Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Raiders -2.5, Seahawks +2.5
BetMGM: Raiders -2.5, Seahawks +2.5
FanDuel: Raiders -1.5, Seahawks +1.5
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Seahawks - Raiders preview
A new era of Raiders football will officially begin.
The old saying of ‘something’s not real until you actually see it’ rings true here. The Las Vegas Raiders will play a football game with actual people inside Allegiant Stadium for the first time on Saturday. They’ll be taking on the Seattle Seahawks in a classic AFC West showdown. Shoutout if you remember those days with the weird looking bird as the logo.
The Raiders are one of those weird teams that you expect to break through this season. The problem is the AFC is so crowded that a 9-, maybe 10-win season won’t get it done.
So the onus is on Derek Carr to take a ginormous leap for the Raiders to contend with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. That in of itself is a hard task given the Los Angeles Chargers’ expected improvement with second-year quarterback Justin Herbert.
But Carr will not be short on options. Tight end Darren Waller returns as his leading target, but the Raiders are hoping to get a vast second-year leap from last year’s first-round pick, wide receiver Henry Ruggs. It should be a balanced offense in Las Vegas so long as running back Josh Jacobs carries the 1,000-yard campaign he had last year into 2021.
Las Vegas also made improvements on defense, trading for former Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to put opposite of last year’s sack leader Maxx Crosby. The secondary remains a question mark, but if the Raiders can put enough pressure on quarterbacks, that should aid in some extra wins. They hope veteran Casey Hayward can be that presence to help young corners Trayvon Mullen and Damon Arnette.
The Raiders welcome the Seahawks to Sin City for the first time, and this is a pressure-packed season for Russell Wilson and co. if they want to get back to the Super Bowl.
Pete Carroll has spent years masterfully coaching a well-schemed defense which added superstar safety Jamal Adams to the fold last year. He’s looking for a new contract and, as of Wednesday, has not signed a new deal.
But the Seahawks’ offense should take another step this year after a remarkable second year from DK Metcalf. Tyler Lockett has also become a reliable No. 2 for Wilson, a dangerous weapon in the slot. They’ll need someone to emerge out of training camp to be that reliable presence opposite Metcalf in order to complete this stout passing attack.
Trends
Dating back to last season, the over is 4-0 in the last four Raiders home games.
The Seahawks are 0-6 against the spread in their last six on the road.
The home team, even dating back to the Raiders’ time in Oakland, is 7-2 against the spread in the last nine meetings between the two teams. The favorite, that being Las Vegas, is 4-1 in the last five.
Prediction
Much like other NFL preseason games, at least in Week 1, the stars won’t be on display. Expect the same for Wilson, with Geno Smith and young quarterback Alex McGough to see most of the time. Expect the same for the Raiders, but they have a reliable backup in former Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota entering his second season in Las Vegas. We expect the Raiders’ young players to make an impact in their first game in front of fans. Raiders win 27-20.
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
