The reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks face an uphill battle if they are to win the NFC West for the second straight year. Mike Macdonald’s 5-4 team, which comes off a 17-3 home win over the Arizona Cardinals, trails the 7-1 San Francisco 49ers, and has already lost a home game to Kyle Shanahan’s club.

This week, the ‘Hawks have not been definitive on who their starting quarterback will be on Sunday. Sam Darnold is out and Drew Lock is having his own issues (oblique). Could second-year pro Jalen Milroe make his first NFL start?

On the other hand, Seattle’s opponent this certainly know who their field general will be. On Tuesday, the Las Vegas Raiders sent veteran Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings for a third-round pick in 2027. That opens the door for 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Fernando Mendoza, who has seen only reserve action in one game this season.

Klint Kubiak, the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator this past season, has led the Silver and Black to a 4-5 record, one more win than the club had in 2025. An upset of the Seahawks would speak volumes for a Raiders’ team that has made some strides—especially on offense.

Seahawks vs. Raiders History

These former AFC West rivals have met just six times since realignment in 2002, and the franchises have split those half-dozen encounters. The last meeting between the clubs took place in 2022 at Lumen Field, with the Raiders coming away with a rousing 40-34 overtime victory.

The last time the Silver and Black was the host team in this series was in 2018, when they fell to Pete Carroll’s Seahawks in London, 27-3. Hence, this is the ‘Hawks first regular-season contest in Las Vegas (they lost a preseason game at Allegiant Stadium in 2021).

Raiders on the verge of NFL history

In their five wins, Mike Maconald’s club has a combined 169 running plays for 670 yards—totaling at least 30 attempts in four of those contests. In their four setbacks, there’s been a total of 89 attempts for only 327 yards. Entering Week 10, the Raiders are surrendering an NFL-worst 151.2 rushing yards per contest.

In each of their last six games, the Raiders have allowed 30-plus points. That ties the NFL single-season mark set four previous times. No NFL team has even allowed 30 or more points in seven straight games in the same season. The overall record is eight games, set by the 2020 Lions (last 6 in 2020, first 2 in 2021).

Seahawks’ DT Byron Murphy II Bears Watching

Seattle’s defense entered Week 10 as the league’s top-ranked unit in terms of fewest total yards and fewest passing yards allowed per game. Third-year pro Byron Murphy II has a 75.5 pass-rushing grade from Pro Football Focus—tied for 13th among interior defenders. He also leads Seattle with four sacks.

Raiders’ wideout Tre Tucker is in the midst of his fourth NFL season, and could wind up having another career campaign. He’s fourth on the club with 33 catches, but ranks second in receiving yards (529) and touchdown grabs (4). Tucker was a 17-game starter in 2025, totaling 57 grabs for 696 yards and five TDs.