Seahawks-Raiders takeaways: DE Frank Clark leads potent pass rush in 27-3 win over Oakland
Oct 14, 2018, 2:07 PM | Updated: 2:16 pm
The NFL’s London series has been no stranger to blowouts, and on Sunday the Seahawks continued the tradition, rolling over the Oakland Raiders for a 27-3 win to improve to 3-3 on the season.
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Here are a few quick notes:
Seahawks D-line has best game since Week 3
After allowing 468 total yards to the Los Angeles Rams last week, Seattle’s defense held the Oakland Raiders to 185 yards (less than 80 of those on the ground) and 3 points. The Raiders were scoreless through the first three quarters.
Head coach Pete Carroll last week said Seattle’s pass rush needed to be more effective. The group responded with six sacks and nine quarterback hits in what was their best performance of the season, even better than their strong outing in a Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Defensive end Frank Clark accounted for 2 1/2 sacks. Two caused fumbles, one that was recovered by rookie defensive end Jacob Martin for his first career fumble recovery.
“Frank’s been playing great football,” Carroll said postgame. “More importantly, he’s just turned his outlook in a really, really positive way. He’s playing as a great teammate. He’s so strong and so supportive with his message… he’s taken a leadership role.
“Everybody (on the defensive line) was hot, everybody was going,” Carroll added. “That really was kind of the story of the way was our ability to rush the passer.”
Offensive line keeps quiet – and that’s a good thing
The O-line has been one of Seattle’s most critiqued position groups over the last few years and has consistently ranked near the bottom of the league. On Sunday, though, it had its strongest showing of the season.
The Seahawks allowed just one sack, which is their fewest allowed of the season and a significant improvement from their 12 sacks through the first two weeks. The game wasn’t without its flaws: three separate linemen drew penalties and Wilson found himself under pressure at times. But as a whole, the unit has shown consistent growth week over week.
“Mike (Solari) and Brian Schottenheimer have had a lot to do with that,” Carroll said, crediting the improvements in the O-line and run game to his new O-line coach and offensive coordinator. “But for the most part what has happened is we’ve come together in how we want to play.”
Carroll also credited improvements to the addition of right guard D.J. Fluker, return of left guard J.R. Sweezy, and the development of Seahawks veterans from 2017.
No news is good news on the injury front
The Seahawks made it out of Week 6 with no significant injuries.
Rookie cornerback Tre Flowers left the game with what looked like a lower leg injury in the third quarter, though that was later announced as muscle cramps.
The Seahawks now hit their bye week 3-3 and could see the return of a few sidelined players later this month.
“(Tight end) Ed Dickson’s going to be coming back to us… and we have a chance for (running back) J.D. McKissic,” Carroll said.
The team is also waiting for the return of starting linebacker K.J. Wright, who has spent six weeks recovering from knee surgery.
