Seattle Seahawks at Las Vegas Raiders 8/14/21 NFL Picks and Predictions

The Seattle Seahawks face the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, August 14th for a Week 1 Preseason matchup at Allegiant Stadium. 

The Seattle Seahawks ended the 2020-21 regular season with an impressive 12-4 record but were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams in upset fashion in the NFC Wild Card game, 30-20. The Seahawks have big expectations yet again in the 2021-22 season. but on paper, this is not the most talented team we have seen Seattle produce in recent years. The Seahawks have some major holes defensively, especially on the defensive line. The Seahawks' offense should be potent as ever with Russell Wilson at QB, but having a lack of depth can really hurt a team's chances in these preseason games. The Seahawks' backup quarterbacks are rather weak, as Geno Smith, Alex McGough, and Sean Mannion make up the backups. Seattle has nice depth at the running back position with guys like Rashaad Penny, Travis Homer, and DeeJay Dallas. The Seahawks are pretty thin at WR and their offensive line is nothing to write home about either. I could see the Seahawks really struggling in the preseason and then figuring things out when the regular season rolls around. 

There is a lot to be excited about in Las Vegas. For starters, this will be the first season where fans are allowed to attend home games at Allegiant Stadium. Saturday's preseason game is the first fan-attended game at Allegiant, so expect the home-field advantage to actually matter here. The Raiders missed the postseason in 2020-21 but were able to play .500 ball under Coach Gruden at 8-8. The Raiders would have stacked up really well at quarterback for this preseason game, but it looks like backup quarterback, Marcus Mariota, is doubtful to play. That leaves the Raiders with Nathan Peterman, a guy that has struggled in his NFL career from the start, and Case Cookus, a rookie from Nothern Arizona. Other than at the QB position, the Raiders have plenty of talent and depth to go around. Backup running back Kenyan Drake should see plenty of playing time as he fights for snaps this season. Guys like Willie Snead IV, Zay Jones, and John Brown will also be available for LV at the wide receiver position.

AUTHOR: Ron Romanelli

Ron is a Sports Media and Journalism major. He has been a sports journalist for over 4 years.
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