Headed into the Week 6 matchup at Wembley Stadium, on a gloomy, rainy, London evening, we knew one team – either the Oakland Raiders or the Seattle Seahawks – would have to set the tone, but unfortunately for the Silver and Black, Pete Carroll's squad was the one who did just that.
While the end score of the international tilt was 27-3, it was Seattle's opening drive – a 14-play, 82-yard behemoth – that really set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Following the punctuation mark of the drive, a five-yard touchdown from Russell Wilson to Jaron Brown, the Raiders went three-and-out offensively, and while that series in particular didn't come back to bite the Silver and Black, it foreshadowed what the rest of the evening would like look.
Even by game's end, the Raiders just couldn't find any type of type of cohesion, and as a result, they'll fly back to the United States with a 1-5 record.
And while the Raiders inability to get things moving offensively certainly proved to be one of the big storylines from Sunday night's loss, it's also important to note that Head Coach Jon Gruden's group certainly didn't have its full battery of tools at Wembley Stadium.
Look, I'm not here to make excuses – every team in the NFL deals with injury – but going into a game without the services of your All-Pro left guard, as well as losing Amari Cooper early in the second quarter, unquestionably presents a unique set of challenges, and unfortunately, those challenges proved daunting for the Raiders.
As I said earlier, with Kelechi Osemele ruled out prior to game time, Jon Feliciano once again got the start in his stead, but a rib injury forced No. 76 to sidelines in the first half, which resulted in Justin Murray going the rest of the way on the inside of the Raiders line.
The patchwork group dealt with its fair share of challenges against an athletic Seahawks front – Derek Carr was sacked six times and was under duress for nearly the entirety of the Week 6 matchup.
That said, it's not fair to pin Sunday's effort squarely to the shoulders of Derek Carr and the offense either, the defense and special teams units unquestionably had their fair share of issues as well.
Russell Wilson was once again his creative, impressive self, as he found the end zone three times, while also being aided by some pretty efficient running on the ground as well.
Defensively, the highlights of the night for Paul Guenther's group belonged to Arden Key (his first career sack), and a Daryl Worley goal line interception that took points off the board, but at the end of the day, it just wasn't enough to stop Russell Wilson and Co.
As far as the special teams unit was concerned, Matt McCrane missed a 48-yard field goal early, and punter Johnny Townsend struggled to flip the field against the Seahawks.
After flying back to Northern California tonight, the team will get a day off Monday before returning to the field Tuesday.
With a bye on the docket for Week 7, the Silver and Black will likely have an abbreviated week at the team facility. The next time they take the field will be Sunday, October 28, when they play host to the Indianapolis Colts at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
