The Raiders got back to back wins for the first time since the end of the ’08 season and they did it to climb back to 500 when they easily beat the 4-3 Seahawks, 33-3. This is the latest the Raiders have been 500 in a season since 2002.
The Raiders took control of this game with defense. Early on, neither team was having much success moving the ball, but it was the Raiders defensive line that dominated the Seahawks offensive line, from the starting gun, that took set the tone for this game.
The Raiders pressured Quarterback Matt Hasselback all day and they did so the majority of the time with just a four man rush. The Raiders totaled eight sacks, all but one of which came from the defensive line.
The Seahawks managed just 47 yards rushing and the majority of that came on a 21 yard run by Leon Washington in the 4th quarter when the game was well in hand.
With the defense keeping the Seahawks offense off of the field the Raiders offense was allowed to wear them down, but at the end of the first half, it was still anyone's game. The Raiders went into the locker room with a 10-0 lead. They got their only first half touchdonw on a 4th down and 1 play that went to Marcel Reece on a quick slant. It was a perfectly thrown ball and Reece broke past the lunging defender for a 30 yard touchdown.
The Seahawks had a chance to put 3 points on the board going into halftime, but Olindo Mare missed his first field goal attempt in 30 tries. It was all down hill for the Seahawks from there.
In the second half the Raiders began to wear down the Seahawks defense and took advantage of it with some big plays. Darren McFadden burst free in the 3rd quarter for a 49 yard run. That run set up a field goal to make the score 13-0. McFadden ended the day with 111 yards on 21 carries.
The Raiders also had a couple of big strikes, including one to Darrius Heyward-Bey. Bey had by far his most productive day as a pro. He had 5 catches for 105 yards, which included a 69 yard touchdown grab. Bey also had a 30 yard run on a reverse that set up the Raiders first field goal.
In the end, this game wasn’t close on the scoreboard or in the stat book. The Raiders out-gained the Seahawks 545 yards to 162.
We’ll be back later to dissect how some of the matchups that were highlighted panned out.