Week 9 Game Recap: Oakland Raiders 0, Seattle Seahawks 16

What you need to know

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders continued their offensive struggles and were shut out on Monday Night Football for the second time this season. The offense allowed seven sacks in the first half and accumulated a mere 49 total net yards in the first half. Two sacks were added in the second half.

Andrew Walter did not play well. The Seattle defense sacked him nine times and he had very little time to make his throws. When a receiver was open, Walter was not always accurate with his passes. Randy Moss was targeted on 40% of the passing plays and ended the night with six receptions from his 14 targets, but he also dropped a number of catchable balls.

The Raiders did not run the ball very much. LaMont Jordan was the main ball carrier and he averaged over seven yards per carry but only ran nine times. Over half of his yardage came on one 32 yard play.

Despite the lack of offense, the Raiders were kept in the game by a strong defensive display. They forced the Seahawks to punt on eight consecutive drives before finally giving way late in the game.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks jumped out to an early lead and dominated the entire game. The defense generated nine sacks and allowed just 49 total net yards in the first half and 185 total net yards overall.

Seneca Wallace did a good job, finding Deion Branch for a 22 yard touchdown on the Seahawks’ opening drive. He managed the game well and showed good mobility to evade the pass rush and buy time to make plays.

Maurice Morris ended the game with 138 rushing yards. It was a career high and only the second time that he had gained 100 rushing yards in a game.

Shaun Alexander was interviewed during the game and seemed optimistic that he might be able to play in the next game as his injured foot is looking better.

What you ought to know

QB Andrew Walter, Pass: 16 - 35 - 166 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -1 - 0

Walter took a sack on both of the Raiders’ first two drives and went three and out on each occasion. The next drive was even worse for Walter as he was sacked on three consecutive plays. It was a problem that continued throughout the game, and the team allowed nine sacks on the night. Many were due to Walter’s inability to roll out and evade the pass rush, and he was slow to make decisions. Walter could not always find receivers even when they were open. One ball was snapped and went behind him but the play was stopped for a false start. It might easily have been recovered by the Seahawks for a touchdown otherwise. He did fumble once, but the ball was recovered by Justin Fargas. Walter did not throw deep very often, but he was unlucky to see Randy Moss bobble and drop a pass of around 50 yards on one occasion. Moss was Walter’s most targeted receiver by far with 14, and he had six receptions. But the last three receptions came in the final minute with the Seahawks playing in prevent mode.

RB LaMont Jordan, Rush: 9 - 63 - 0, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (2 targets)

Jordan was the main ball carrier for the Raiders after being limited by an injury in the previous game. He only carried nine times as the Raiders were trying to throw for most of the night. Jordan had an 11 yard run for a first down on the Raiders’ fifth possession, but the drive ended after two more sacks. Jordan later broke free for a 32 yard gain and it was by far the longest play for the Raiders all night. The drive ended after Randy Moss dropped a pass on third down. The Raiders did not make much effort to run the ball and protect Walter from the Seahawks’ constant pressure.

RB Zack Crockett, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets)

Crockett caught his only target for a six yard gain and carried once for four yards.

RB ReShard Lee, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (3 targets)

Lee was targeted three times in the game, and caught two for a total of 17 yards. His longest gain was for ten yards and a first down.

RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 1 - -2 - 0 (1 targets)

Fargas was targeted once but did not make the catch. He had one carry for a two yard loss. His biggest contribution came when he recovered an Andrew Walter fumble.

WR Randy Moss, Rec: 6 - 76 - 0 (14 targets)

Moss gave the Raiders their opening first down of the game with an 18 yard reception on third down. He was Walter’s favorite option by far, and saw a total of 14 targets in the game. Moss dropped at least two catchable passes. The Raiders did not attempt many deep passes, but Moss was targeted on a pass of around 50 yards. He beat three defenders to the ball but bobbled it and failed to make a difficult catch. He ended the night with six receptions but the final three came in the last minute with the Seahawks content to allow moderate gains.

WR Alvis Whitted, Rec: 3 - 27 - 0 (3 targets)

Whitted started the game but was only targeted three times. He caught all three balls for a total of 27 yards, including a 14 yard reception for a first down.

WR Ronald Curry, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (6 targets)

Curry caught the first ball thrown his way for an 11 yard gain and a first down. He was targeted on five other occasions, but only caught one for six yards. He dropped one catchable ball.

WR Jerry Porter (1 targets)

Porter was active for the game, but he did not start and was only targeted once. He failed to make the catch.

TE Randal Williams, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (3 targets)

Williams was targeted three times. He caught one ball for 13 yards and a first down. Williams was open on another occasion but Walters threw a bad pass and missed him.

TE Courtney Anderson (3 targets)

Anderson was targeted three times in the game but he did not make any of the catches.

PK Sebastian Janikowski 0 - 0 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 0 points

Janikowski did not attempt any kicks as the Raiders were shut out.

OAK Rush Defense

The Raiders allowed 207 net rushing yards at 5.3 yards per carry, and failed to contain Maurice Morris. The longest run of the night went to Seneca Wallace as he scrambled for a 37 yard gain. Morris was prevented from scoring near the end of the game when he carried four times from inside the ten, but it did not change the outcome of the game.

OAK Pass Defense

Oakland allowed a 22 yard touchdown pass to Deion Branch on the Seahawks’ first drive. They didn’t allow many big plays after that point, but the game situation and the heavy rain caused the Seahawks to limit their passing attempts to nine in the second half. The pass rush registered three sacks as Burgess, Sapp and Sam Williams all got to Wallace. Michael Huff was hit in the head in the fourth quarter and left the game. With under two minutes to go, Tyler Brayton deliberately attacked Jerramy Stevens with his knee and was ejected from the game.

QB Seneca Wallace, Pass: 18 - 30 - 176 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 49 - 0

Wallace began the game well, completing his first three passes and finding Deion Branch for a 22 yard touchdown on the Seahawks’ opening possession. Wallace scrambled eight yards to keep the second drive alive, and also had a run inside the 10 yard line on a designed play. He was stopped at the three yard line and the drive ended in a field goal. Deion Branch and Darrell Jackson each saw six targets in the first half. As the rain worsened in the second half, and with the score in the Seahawks’ favor, Wallace only attempted nine more passes. He did scramble 37 yards for the longest play of the game, but the drive ended after he was sacked. Wallace managed the game well and the Seahawks always looked to be in control.

QB Matt Hasselbeck

Hasselbeck was inactive due to a sprained MCL in his knee and said he is targeting a possible return on November 19th.

RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 30 - 138 - 0

Morris had a career high 138 rushing yards. He had a gain of 17 yards for a first down on the Seahawks’ opening drive which resulted in a Deion Branch touchdown. Morris had a 29 yard run on the Seahawks’ third possession to set up a field goal. As the game wore on, the team went to him more and more to run out the clock. He was given four carries from inside the ten yard line near the end of the game, but the Raiders prevented him from scoring. Morris did gain three first downs on the Seahawks’ final drive to set up a field goal.

RB Mack Strong, Rush: 6 - 20 - 0, Rec: 4 - 16 - 0 (5 targets)

Strong was the only player used to spell Maurice Morris. He had six carries for a total of 20 yards and was targeted five times in the passing game. Strong caught four of the passes for a total of 16 yards, including a good effort to convert on third and seven.

RB Shaun Alexander

Alexander remains out with a cracked bone in his foot. During an interview on the sidelines, Alexander indicated that his foot appears to be getting better. He was optimistic that he may be ready for the next game although that is far from certain.

WR Darrell Jackson, Rec: 5 - 36 - 0 (7 targets)

Jackson had a quiet game. His longest reception was for 17 yards and a first down and he caught four short passes. Jackson also dropped two passes including one that was straight to him.

WR D.J. Hackett, Rec: 4 - 58 - 0 (6 targets)

Wallace appeared to have a good understanding with Hackett. He was targeted twice in the first half, making both catches for gains of seven yards and ten yards. Hackett was targeted four times in the second half, compared to one each for Branch and Jackson. Hackett had gains of 23 yards and 18 yards.

WR Deion Branch, Rec: 4 - 61 - 1 (7 targets)

Branch was targeted on the Seahawks’ opening drive and he made the catch for a 22 yard touchdown. Branch looked dangerous and caught an 18 yard pass for a first down on the following drive. He ended the half with catches of 11 yards and ten yards for first downs. The game situation and conditions meant that Branch was only targeted once in the second half as the Seahawks switched their focus to the run.

WR Nate Burleson (1 targets)

Burleson was only targeted once in the game and failed to make the catch. He was also used to return four punts.

WR Bobby Engram

Engram was inactive due to his thyroid condition.

TE Itula Mili, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets)

Mili caught his only target for a five yard gain.

TE Jerramy Stevens (3 targets)

Stevens becomes more involved when the Seahawks were in the red zone. He was targeted three times but the first two passes were uncatchable. Head Coach Mike Holmgren was visibly angry with Stevens after he lost the team 15 yards on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Holmgren held Stevens out for a few plays after that. When he did rejoin the game, Stevens dropped a pass in the end zone that was thrown straight to him. He was not targeted again in the game.

PK Josh Brown 3 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points

Brown made an extra point attempt and three short field goals and was perfect on the night.

SEA Rush Defense

The Seahawks did not have to worry too much about the run as the Raiders only had 13 rushing attempts for the whole game. LaMont Jordan had gains of 11 yards and 32 yards, but the team only had a total of 64 net rushing yards.

SEA Pass Defense

The Raiders passed the ball for most of the game. Seattle had Andrew Walter under constant pressure and generated a threat almost every time he dropped back to throw. Craig Terrill had three sacks, while Grant Wistrom and Rocky Bernard had two each. The team had seven sacks in the first half and nine in the game as a whole. None of the passing plays went for over 20 yards.