Raiders vs. Seahawks: Previewing Seattle's Preseason Week 4 Matchup

The dress rehearsals are nearly complete; we're just one game away from the opening act of the NFL season.

On Thursday night, the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders will meet in the fourth and final game of the NFL's preseason—their 10th consecutive preseason finale dating back to 2006.

While the third act against San Diego featured starters playing large portions of the game, the fourth act is typically reserved for rookies, backups and fringe players who are clinging to the hope that they'll survive the final round of cuts. 

For the names you're familiar with, it's a game devoid of stress, anxiety and much sweat. For their lesser-known peers, this game could mark the beginning or end of a season, or even a career.

The game may lack stars, but it certainly doesn't lack intrigue.

We'll briefly recap Seattle's 16-15 victory over San Diego before touching on some key news, notes, injury updates and crucial matchups to watch for when the Seahawks and Raiders take the field.

Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle

Time: 7 p.m. PDT

TV: Q13 Fox (Local)

Behind the (nearly) immaculate right leg of Steven Hauschka and the Mario Kart-style return shenanigans of Tyler Lockett, the Seahawks were able to eke out their first preseason win over San Diego, 16-15.

It's easy to be blinded by Hauschka's 60-yard game-winning field goal sneaking through the uprights with just 16 seconds left in the game, but for a third consecutive week the Seattle offense looked lost in the desert. 

Russell Wilson and R.J. Archer combined to go just 14-of-29 for 105 yards with no touchdowns, no interceptions and one sack apiece.

Wilson especially looked out of sorts, missing an open Jermaine Kearse in the end zone on one play and overthrowing Jimmy Graham, who is sort of a hard target to miss, on another.

Seattle's two quarterbacks, who were under pressure on 18 of their 35 dropbacks were never able to get into the proper swing of things in San Diego. The offensive line's pass protection was far better than in the prior two weeks, but Tom Cable's new starting unit is still working to form that on-field bond that all great lines share. 

The ground game didn't fare much better, with Seattle's backs, led by Christine Michael (seven carries, 39 yards), consistently stuffed, slammed and walloped at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Seattle's lone touchdown came on Lockett's magnificent, swooping, sideline-to-sideline 67-yard punt return in the second quarter. The return left him with twice as many touchdowns as Seattle's entire offense this preseason.

The defense fared far better, with Richard Sherman, Tharold Simon and Will Blackmon all making impactful returns. Meanwhile, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright and Bruce Irvin were their typically stalwart selves.

San Diego still managed to throw for 250 yards, the bulk of which came on a 70-yard Branden Oliver touchdown scamper in the third quarter, but Seattle generally limited the big plays.

It was, again, another all-around substandard preseason performance, but the Seahawks showed grit in pulling out a win on the road with an offense that just hasn't been able to break through the opponent's goal line.

Seahawks Top PFF Offensive Grades 

Player	Snaps Played	Grade
J.R. Sweezy	34	+2.1
Garry Gilliam	63	+1.7
Drew Nowak	34	+1.4
Keavon Milton	29	+0.9
Kasen Williams	24	+0.9

Seahawks Top PFF Defensive Grades

Player	Snaps Played	Grade
Greg Scruggs	19	+3.2
Brock Coyle	29	+3.1
Jordan Hill	27	+2.7
Tharold Simon	32	+2.6
Julius Warmsley	13	+1.9

Making the Cut to 75

Tuesday marked the NFL-imposed deadline for teams to trim their individual rosters down to 75 active players, which meant that 15 current Seahawks were to be involved in some sort of shuffling.

Here's a look at all the moves that Seattle made in order to meet the NFL mandate:

Player	Position	Status
Brandon Cottom	FB	Waived/Injured
Jesse Davis	OT	Waived
George Farmer	CB	Waived
Deshon Foxx	WR	Waived
Deontay Greenberry	WR	Waived
Lemuel Jeanpierre	OT	Released
Keelan Johnson	CB	Waived
Jeremy Lane	CB	Placed on PUP list
Quayshawn Nealy	LB	Waived
Kevin Norwood	WR	Traded to Carolina
Paul Richardson	WR	Placed on PUP list
Greg Scruggs	DE	Waived
D'Anthony Smith	DT	Released
Triston Wade	CB	Waived
Ty Zimmerman	SS	Waived

Lane and Richardson's status will be discussed more in the next slide, but of the 15 roster moves made, two stand out as unexpected: the trade of Norwood, which the Carolina Panthers announced on Monday, and the release of Jeanpierre.

Jeanpierre entered training camp with lofty expectations as departed center Max Unger's replacement, but he never elevated his play in training camp or any of the preseason games. 

The former South Carolina Gamecock was named Seattle's starting center for the team's first preseason game against Denver, but Drew Nowak was elevated to his spot following a dismal performance by the entire offensive line. 

Jeanpierre's outright release comes as a bit of a shock considering the 28-year-old grades out as the Seahawks' best offensive lineman this preseason, though that came in a relatively small sample size, per Pro Football Focus.

It was thought his four years with the team—which included 11 starts, three of which came at center last season—would have given him a sizable advantage over a largely unproven collection of linemen, but it appears Pete Carroll and Cable are content to roll with Nowak as the starter. 

For Norwood, the trade ends a brief, disappointing tenure in Seattle.

Drafted in the fourth round out of Alabama in 2014, Norwood's rookie season was marred by a foot injury that required surgery, which limited his production to just nine receptions for 102 yards in nine games.

Entering training camp fully healed, Norwood never showcased enough to distance himself from a crowded pack of receivers. He recorded just two receptions for 18 yards in three preseason games, ranking ninth on the team despite spending more time on the field than any other receiver, per Pro Football Focus.

Should Norwood survive the Carolina Panthers' final cuts, Seattle will receive a seventh-round pick in the 2017 draft, per the Seattle Times' Bob Condotta. It's not in ink yet, but with Carolina's vault of competent receivers essentially empty following Kelvin Benjamin's season-ending injury, it was worth the late pick to take a flier on the 25-year-old receiver.

Potential Jackson Deal Stymied by Chancellor Holdout 

Fred Jackson's potential landing in Seattle feels like something of a perfect storm.

On Monday, an unexpected announcement came from Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley, per the team's official site: “Today, we had to make the difficult decision to release Fred Jackson."

According to a report from the Buffalo News' Tim Graham, Whaley had "gone rogue." Around this same time, Seattle's official team site announced that Robert Turbin's high-ankle sprain necessitated a meeting with Jackson.

Jackson also just so happens to have a close relationship with Beast Mode dating back to their time together in Buffalo.

How serendipitous.

Then, ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reported Jackson's past with Marshawn Lynch could provide the Seahawks an upper hand in signing the 34-year-old:

As the source explained it to PFT, the primary factor in the mutual interest between the Seahawks and Jackson is the pre-existing relationship between Jackson and starting tailback Marshawn Lynch, based on their time together with the Bills

Per the source, having Jackson in the locker room will provide the private, reclusive Lynch with another confidant, along with the comfort of knowing Jackson has Lynch’s back. Also, unlike Christine Michael and Robert Turbin, Jackson isn’t someone who would be viewed as a potential successor to Lynch.

Now, none of this is set in stone despite the media's rush to proclaim Jackson a Seahawk.

Bleacher Report's Jason Cole reported Kam Chancellor's holdout situation is preventing the Seahawks from signing Jackson, noting the issue may not be resolved until after Week 1. 

As for Chancellor?

Following Tuesday's practice, Carroll was asked if there was any news of note on that front, per Condotta.

The coach's answer? Simply, "no."

Russell and...Robert?

Take this with a grain of a grain of salt, but Sports Illustrated's Peter King has pegged the Seahawks as the organization most likely to sign fallen football deity Robert Griffin III.

Voted Rookie of the Year in 2012, Griffin—as I'm sure you already know, considering the media's incessant coverage—has painstakingly metamorphosed into the NFL's Icarus. Now, with Kirk Cousins named starter in Washington, RGIII and his burdensome contract appear headed for a release. 

King listed the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers as possible destinations should the release occur, but he went out of his way to proclaim Seattle the favorite for his services:

Seattle would be number one. GM John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll are always looking for an edge, and they won’t care about ruffling feathers with backup Tavaris Jackson. Griffin could learn a new offense with little pressure, seeing that Russell Wilson has never missed a start in 54 games since being drafted 73 spots after Griffin in 2012.

It seems, well, unlikely. 

Backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, who is dealing with a minor ankle issue, is expected to be fully operational for the season opener. Third-string quarterback R.J. Archer is expected to be among the final cuts.

Seattle has never kept more than two quarterbacks on its active roster during the Pete Carroll era, and even if he were to buck the trend, this move would produce far more headaches than handshakes in Seattle.

Controversy Finds Clark Once Again 

The San Diego Chargers are not pleased with rookie defensive end Frank Clark.

According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, a Chargers player alleged that Clark tried to punch Philip Rivers following a brief scrum in the wake of a Jordan Hill sack. Chargers tackle King Dunlap was flagged for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty following the scrap, but Clark was neither penalized nor fined.

"That guy was on top of Philip, and that's our quarterback," Dunlap said. "I protect the quarterback at all costs." 

The Seahawks drew the ire of many for drafting Clark in the second round of this year's draft. His senior year came to a tarnished, abrupt end when the Michigan Wolverines dismissed him following an arrest on domestic violence charges.

Clark spent three days in jail. He pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge. Then, several months later, the Seahawks made him their top pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

The Seahawks said they had investigated the incident thoroughly and believed Clark never struck his girlfriend.

Some, like the Seattle Times' Geoff Baker, reported that might not have been entirely accurate. As preseason came around, Clark excelled on the field, and the attention that had previously been on his off-field past went away somewhat. 

He's been one of Seattle's most disruptive defenders this preseason; he grades out as Seattle's preseason defensive MVP, according to Pro Football Focus.

When asked about the incident with Rivers following the game, Clark allowed that his emotions had indeed gotten the better of him.

"I’m a real emotional player but there are ways you react and ways you don’t react," Clark said, per Condotta. "You’ve got to be smart in this game. That was something Sherm [Richard Sherman] was telling me afterwards, that whole thing, even though I didn’t get called for anything, just to avoid situations like that."

Clark's potential is undeniable. He's in a system that prides itself on exactly what he does. He could turn himself into another Seattle diamond.

But it's incident like this one, when emotion overwhelms thought, where Clark can turn into a danger.

The 22-year-old still has some maturing to do, and veteran figures like Sherman and Earl Thomas are in the locker room to offer tutelage throughout the arduous journey—it's just up to Clark to listen. 

Carroll and Wilson Frustrated but Not Worried 

Preseason football is ugly. It's dysfunctional and disorganized, and much of the action, especially from the second half on, involves players who are destined for practice squads, the Arena Football League or the Canadian Football League.

So the Seahawks' overall offensive numbers, as seen in the chart below, don't justify running to the top of the tower and sounding the alarm.

Statistic	Seahawks	Opponents
First Downs	38	58
Third Downs	15/43 (34.9%)	18/47 (38.3%)
Total Offensive Yards	630	980
Yards Per Play	3.64	4.88
Rushing Yards	284	347
Yards Per Rush	3.7	3.7
Passing Yards	402	684
TD-INT	1-0	4-2
Completion Percentage	52.9%	64%
Times Sacked	11	8
Offensive Touchdowns	1	4
Field Goals	7/8	8/8
Avg. Time of Possession	26:21	33:39

The struggles of Seattle's starting offense, however, might warrant some warning bells. 

The offensive line has undergone a trying restructuring process this preseason following the departures of center Max Unger and left guard James Carpenter.

The gaps left by Unger and Carpenter have led to a literal manifestation of gaps in the Seahawks' newly constructed line.

Wilson and R.J. Archer have found themselves running from defenders like prey on an open prairie, while the run blocking has been largely disappointing.

“We’ve been frustrated by it,” Carroll said, per Seahawks.com. “I’m a little frustrated by it, but I’m not worried about it for the long haul. I just want to get our offensive linemen enough turns and enough reps together so they can go and make the calls and be really sharp at the things we need them to do. We need more time, we’re not there yet.”

Time is a luxury no NFL team has with just one preseason game left on the slate.

Carroll's quarterback has found himself under much duress this preseason, but even when given time, Wilson has been off the mark. His passes have landed behind, over and under his intended receiver on several occasions.

The two-time Pro Bowler's accuracy percentage—which takes into account dropped passes, spikes and throwaways—is just 62.1 percent, which places him 55th among the 61 qualified quarterbacks, per Pro Football Focus.

The typically unflappable Wilson has found his troubles exacerbated upon entering the red zone—a struggle he acknowledged when speaking to Gregg Bell of (Tacoma) Times Tribune.

"Ultimately, we have to finish drives. That’s on me," Wilson said, before characteristically finishing on a positive note. "But we’ll hit ‘em. We’ll be just fine. So I’m excited about it."

It's been a preseason marked by growing pains and an atypical number of question marks, but on the heels of two consecutive Super Bowl trips, Wilson and Carroll have every right to be confident in their ability to seal their ship's holes.

The NFL does not require teams to list official injury reports during the preseason, so it is somewhat difficult to glean with 100 percent accuracy who is injured, how severely and how it might affect his role in upcoming games.

But even without an official listing, we can go by reports from practice, the coaching staff and the team's official site to produce a makeshift injury report of players who are questionable or ruled out entirely leading into Seattle's preseason finale:

Player	Position	Injury
Dion Bailey	SS	Back Spasms
Tarvaris Jackson	QB	Ankle
Jeremy Lane (PUP)	CB	ACL
Chris Matthews	WR	Shoulder
Mike Morgan	LB	Hamstring
Russell Okung	LT	Shoulder
Paul Richardson (PUP)	WR	ACL
Earl Thomas	FS	Shoulder
Robert Turbin	RB	Ankle
K.J. Wright	LB	Shoulder

There isn't much on this list to be overly concerned or surprised over.

Placing Richardson and Lane on the PUP list means they are ineligible to practice or play until Week 6. With both coming off major ACL injuries, this isn't unexpected, and Seattle has fine depth at each position.

Okung was a surprising late scratch last week against San Diego, but Carroll labeled it as nothing more than a typically precautionary preseason move, per Seahawks.com.

"I think he could have played, but we just make sure we don’t push him too far; we need him to get back," Carroll said following Saturday's game.

Okung played 29 snaps in Seattle's final preseason contest last year, per Pro Football Focus; don't expect anything near that against the Raiders.

The Seahawks have been lucky enough to escape any major calamities during their three preseason games, with the only true injury of note occurring to backup running back Turbin.

"Robert’s got a sprained ankle, he had a high ankle sprain in the game [last week]. We’re not sure—it’s a significant ankle sprain, we have to see what that means," Carroll said following Tuesday's practice, per the Bob Condotta of Seattle Times. "He feels pretty good about it but it definitely showed up in the MRI and all that."

Carroll isn't certain how long Turbin will be sidelined for, but it was enough to draw Seattle's attention to the freshly released Fred Jackson.

Wright also left that game with a shoulder injury following a titanic collision with the colossal King Dunlap, but Carroll assuaged any fears following the game, indicating that Wright "seemed to be fine," per the team website.

And, as expected, Thomas will miss the final preseason game, but Carroll guaranteed he would be ready for the regular-season opener on September 13, per Condotta: "He’s ready to go, so he’ll come back next week. He’ll have to play without the game behind him, but he’s worked so hard, he looks really fast, he’s running great and moving well, I think he’s going to be ready to go."

Tyler Lockett vs. All Comers

The rookie out of Kansas State has transformed himself into the talk of not just Seattle but the entire NFL.

To call Lockett a Devin Hester reincarnate seems disrespectful with Hester still in the league, but boy, the comparison certainly sticks. 

The rookie is capable of multiple ankle-shattering cuts on a single possession. His vision—remember, he has to navigate through a crowd of 21 fully padded gladiators engaging in bone-shattering collisions—is astounding.

He sees a hole, and before the defense can properly react, he hits it, and then he's gone; it's the football equivalent of Steve Nash or Chris Paul throwing a perfectly threaded pass through a seam no one even knows exists yet.

Lockett has been in a different stratosphere as a kick returner this preseason. He leads all returners with 262 kick-return yards, ranks fourth with 105 punt-return yards and is tied for the league lead with two special teams return touchdowns.

Pro Football Focus rates Lockett as both the best kick returner and punt returner of the preseason, with his 5.3 overall grade casting a considerable shadow over the rest of the field.

Though Oakland's return coverage hasn't been dreadful this preseason, the Raiders did allow Minnesota to bust open a 49-yard kick return and 29-yard punt return in Week 2.

Lockett has already proved he can find the seams in the NFL despite the rapid increase in speed and size. Oakland will need to find ways to contain him or, better yet, kick away from him to limit his chances to make an impact

Oakland's Gunslingers vs. Seattle's Secondary 

Oakland hasn't been shy about airing it out under new head coach Jack Del Rio, though the results haven't exactly induced warm, fuzzy feelings.

Oakland's 238.3 passing yards per game place it in a tie for fifth with the Miami Dolphins, but the Raiders have also thrown three interceptions, third-worst in the league. 

Second-year quarterback Derek Carr has had difficulty connecting a with a new crop receivers. He hasn't been able to establish a strong, consistent rapport with Amari Cooper (eight receptions, 15 targets) or Michael Crabtree (three receptions, seven targets), and offseason signing Kenbrell Thompkins (four receptions, 11 targets) has already been cut.

Carr isn't likely to play more than a quarter, and backups Christian Ponder and Matt McGloin aren't exactly world-beaters. This could be a prime opportunity for Seattle's recently returned crop of defensive backs—Tharold Simon, Will Blackmon and Mohammed Seisay—to head into the regular season with some momentum. 

Carroll highlighted Simon and Seisay in particular as players with a lot on the line in this final preseason contest, per Seahawks.com:

It’s kind of a big game for Tharold Simon to show where he is. He had a very good first game. It’ll be a very big game for Mohammed Seisay to get a chance to play finally, he’s been banged up. Will Blackmon will play a good deal. These guys are going to get some really significant play time. Of course, the safeties, too.

After missing most of training camp and preseason, these three will have every chance to stand out against Oakland.

Christine Michael vs. Oakland's Front Seven 

Robert Turbin is banged up, and there's still no confirmation on Fred Jackson, but even if the former Bill does ink a contract with Seattle in the next few days, that doesn't leave the 34-year-old with much time to familiarize himself with Carroll's playbook.

That could leave third-year running back Christine Michael as Marshawn Lynch's primary backup, at least for Seattle's first regular-season game against St. Louis.

Michael hasn't been spectacular this preseason, but then, none of Seattle's running backs has. Some of that has to do with a struggling, unfamiliar offensive line, but Michael has also been confounding at times.

He was handed the ball seven times against San Diego. On six of those runs, he totaled eight yards, but the one handoff he took for 29 yards stood out to Carroll and the staff as a tantalizing glimpse of his capabilities.

"He showed you a play last week that he broke and went out the back door of a power play," Carroll said, per Seahawks.com. "That cut doesn’t happen that much in football. It’s rare that a guy sees that. He took advantage of it and made it a big play for us, and set us up in the red zone."

Carroll believes Michael has "a lot of potential to make things happen," and this final preseason game may give him the chance to do just that.

Michael might not have to deal with Khalil Mack, Dan Williams or Justin Ellis for long, but he'll still have to find a way to plow his way through a Raiders defense that has allowed just 3.2 yards per rush this preseason. 

Whether he delivers or not, this is the last test he has to prove himself worthy of being Lynch's backup.

Seattle X-Factor: QB R.J. Archer

Archer sort of receives this "honor" by default.

With Tarvaris Jackson still sidelined by an ankle injury and Russell Wilson expected to play just one or two series at most—he played just one last year in Week 4, per Pro Football Focus—the fate of the offense will rest on Archer's right arm.

The 28-year-old has been mostly mediocre, but Archer, who last played professionally for the Arena Football League's Jacksonville Sharks in 2013, has held his own despite finding himself under constant duress. 

He's been sacked six times, hit while throwing twice and has had his receivers drop three passes, per Pro Football Focus.

He's shown some flashes, though. Most quarterbacks are going to struggle with multiple 300-pound men bearing down on them, but Archer has done an acceptable job of escaping pressure and avoiding crippling mistakes.

The former William and Mary quarterback is one of the longest shots to make final cuts, but a stellar final preseason outing could garner him some looks from other teams.

For Archer, that's what this last game is all about.

Oakland X-Factor: WR Seth Roberts 

This is the last preseason game, so expect to see some obscure names, but Roberts isn't some schmuck off the streets with no chance of making the final roster.

A product of Division II West Alabama, Roberts spent last season on the Raiders practice squad, but his play this preseason has shown he has far loftier goals for 2015.

He may be far from elite, but Roberts has near-elite breakaway speed (4.44 40-yard dash) and has positioned himself as a threat out of the slot.

Roberts has made the most of his opportunities this preseason, leading all Oakland receivers with 133 receptions on eight receptions (12 targets), per Pro Football Focus. He isn't Amari Cooper or Michael Crabtree or even Rod Streater, but the Seahawks shouldn't overlook the young slot receiver with everything to gain and everything to lose from this performance.

The final preseason game is difficult to get an accurate read on. 

Most of the starters are pulled after the first or second drive, giving way to a slew of players who are fighting for their NFL lives. This often turns the game into something of a sloppy bonanza filled with individuals sniffing out highlight-reel plays instead of "smart" plays.

With that said, Seattle has a deeper team than Oakland, even without key backups like Robert Turbin and Tarvaris Jackson around to carry the starter's load.

Seattle's defense will still be formidable without the Legion of Boom roaming the field.

Tharold Simon, Will Blackmon, Dion Bailey and Mohammed Seisay could all see plenty of action, which spells bad news for a Raiders aerial attack that has been arrhythmic.

Running against Oakland won't be an easy task, but Carroll and Cable are far more confident in their offensive line heading into this game, and Christine Michael should line up in the backfield with flames in his eyes.

The joker card for Seattle here could be special teams.

Steven Hauschka and punter Jon Ryan have submitted Herculean kicking efforts so far. Hauschka can knock 'em in from anywhere on the field, and Ryan can pin 'em in the shadow of their end zone almost at will.

And the return specialists—not just Tyler Lockett, but B.J. Daniels and Kevin Smith as well—form as dangerous a triumvirate as there is in the league.

Barring Oakland playing Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and Latavius Murray deep into the first half, expect Seattle to have little difficulty containing the Raiders offense.

And, just for the sake of 12th man sanity, that anemic Seahawks offense will finally return to the end zone, allowing those crying apocalypse to breathe a long-awaited sigh of relief.

Prediction: Seattle 27, Oakland 13

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.