Raiders vs. Seahawks preview: How they match up as Fernando Mendoza starts

It’s the dawn of a new era for the Las Vegas Raiders (4-5).

After trading starting quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings, the organization will turn to No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza for what they hope will be the first of many starts.

The first opponent won’t be easy, with the defending world champion Seattle Seahawks (5-4) scheduled to come to town.

Game information

■ Who: Raiders vs. Seahawks

■ When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday

■ Where: Allegiant Stadium

■ TV: CBS (Ian Eagle, play-by-play; Ross Tucker, analyst; Evan Washburn, sideline)

■ Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3) (Jason Horowitz, play-by-play; Kirk Morrison, analyst)

■ Line: Seahawks -6½, total 40½

Series history

The Raiders lead 30-26 in a series that dates to 1977.

If that seems like an inordinate amount of meetings for teams in opposite conferences, it’s because the Raiders and Seahawks were in the same division from 1977 through 2001 when Seattle was moved to the NFC West as part of the league’s last realignment in 2002.

From 1990 through 1995, the Raiders had the longest stretch of dominance in the series with 10 wins in 11 meetings.

The Raiders won the AFC championship game over the Seahawks 30-14 in 1984, but Seattle won the rematch a year later in the wild-card round. Those were the only postseason meetings.

Last meeting

Nov. 27, 2022 — Josh Jacobs burst through the line and went the distance for an 86-yard walkoff touchdown run in overtime of a 40-34 victory in Seattle on a day the Raiders racked up 576 yards of offense.

The Raiders had forced the extra session on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to tight end Foster Moreau with less than two minutes left.

Jacobs finished with 229 yards and two touchdowns, while Carr was 25-for-36 for 295 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Geno Smith threw for 328 yards and two scores for the Seahawks. Running back Kenneth Walker was limited to 26 yards on 14 carries but scored twice.

Bold predictions

1. Fernando Mendoza’s first offensive possession for the Raiders will finish with a touchdown pass to tight end Brock Bowers.

2. The Raiders will keep Seattle under 30 points and stay out of the record books by snapping their streak of such futility at six games.

3. Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, coming off his least productive game of the year, will catch at least 10 passes and score two touchdowns.

Storyline

This was a game that had been marked on the calendar all season as Raiders coach Klint Kubiak’s chance to go up against the team he won the Super Bowl with as offensive coordinator last season.

Now Mendoza Mania has overshadowed that narrative.

The trade of Cousins this week triggered a turning of the page to the start of the Mendoza era. As the top pick in the draft, he will carry the hopes of the franchise’s future with him.

No pressure.

But as much as every snap he takes and every throw he makes Sunday will be analyzed and scrutinized all week on the national shows, it’s just one game.

His performance, good or bad, won’t necessarily be informative of how his career is going to go with the Raiders.

Still, they will be looking for positive signs out of their investment.

That’s the big picture.

On a more micro level, Sunday’s game is about whether the Raiders can stay relevant this season.

General manager John Spytek was insistent the trade of Cousins was not a sign the Raiders are punting on the season, but a loss could drop them further behind the wild-card contenders in the AFC with two road games on deck.

A win, however, would get them back to .500 with a chance of staying alive until the schedule eases up down the stretch.

And if you think the hype for Mendoza is big now, it’s nothing compared to what could happen should the Raiders beat the defending champs in his first start.

A win also would be big personally for Kubiak, even if he is downplaying it. He has spoken with reverence about Seattle coach Mike Macdonald and his time working for him. He and several members of his staff in addition to a few players in the Raiders’ locker room won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks last year.

They would love the bragging rights to go along with their rings.

When the Seahawks have the ball

This is probably when people at home will take a bathroom break and fans in the stands will hit the beer line as the Seattle offense against the Raiders defense isn’t what anyone is tuning in to see.

Backup quarterback Drew Lock has been fine in relief this season, especially for someone dealing with multiple injuries.

He’s not going to light up the scoreboard, however, which should be a welcome respite for a Raiders defense trying to avoid giving up at least 30 points for an NFL-record seventh straight game.

The biggest challenge for Rob Leonard’s group will be stopping Smith-Njigba, one of the league’s best and most productive offensive weapons.

“He’s unbelievable,” Leonard said. “He’s No. 1 in the league across the categories. But, yeah, it’s very critical (we focus on him). You start with him Day 1. We’re still talking about him all the way, early down, third down, red zone. Not just coverage-wise, different things that we have to do.”

It would help the secondary if the Raiders can find a way to pressure Lock, an area where they recently have struggled.

The Seahawks also have a couple of talented running backs, though they still are finding ways to best deploy them.

Rookie first-round draft pick Jadarian Price had a season-high four catches last week for 54 yards, while Zach Charbonnet has been ramping up his activity in his two games back from last season’s torn ACL. He had 16 carries for 77 yards last Sunday and figures to continue taking on more of the workload.

When the Raiders have the ball

Here is where the chess match will play out.

While most of the attention will be on Mendoza, Kubiak testing his offense against one of the league’s best defenses and a group he practiced against every day last year will be fun.

Both coaches and their staffs are thinking about what changes to make to counter the other’s knowledge of their system while also considering the counter to those counters.

“I think we’re just trying to go out and do our job,” said offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko, who was the quarterbacks coach with Seattle last year. “We understand that this is a tremendous defense. They’re well-coached. Their personnel is very good. It’s a great-run organization. So we just have to focus on us and doing our job and not letting any of the other stuff come to light. Just do our job and go compete.”

They will try to do that with a rookie quarterback, but one who has earned the confidence of his team.

“He brings his own unique things,” Kubiak said. “He’s a young man with some juice in his legs, and he’s got a lot of talent. But in this game on Sunday, it’s going to be about way more than his physical talent. It’s going to be about his leadership, his knowledge of the offense, his ability to read defense, and again, I’ll say it, it’s his reliance on his teammates and everybody around him elevating their level of play. We’re not putting it all on him.”

Still, Mendoza understands all eyes will be on him even if he considers himself just a part of the team.

“This is a new experience,” he said. “It’s great. It’s against a fantastic opponent. However, I have so much trust in the coaching staff, in the front office, and my teammates and the leaders of the team to go out there and best support everybody’s 1/11th, so we can do our job to the best ability.”

It would help if the Raiders could find a running game.

That continues to be the missing link on this offense, but it won’t be easy to find yards against Seattle on the ground.

Injury report

■ Raiders: Questionable: DT Thomas Booker (ankle), WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. (back).

■ Seahawks: Out: QB Sam Darnold (ribs/quadriceps), OT Charles Cross (ankle), G Quenton Nelson (knee), DE Leonard Williams (stinger).

The pick

Seahawks 21, Raiders 20

Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.