Winless In Seattle
Steve Sauro
Elliott SmithSeahawks vs. Raiders: By The Numbers
October 28th 2010 18:23
:
Seahawks vs. Raiders: By The Numbers
I've wanted to do a segment like this for a while now. Finally, I've held off long enough in writing these posts - I felt it wouldn't be quite as good/justifiable/solid with early numbers as it would with the more mature numbers as the season drums on. As we have about a half of a season's worth of numbers to crunch now - I feel these are good and plenty to go off of as we deep dive into our role's as UnSportsman experts!
We'll pick out some of the more glaring and/or intriguing numbers and give you our take on them.
Let's crunch.
We get as easy of an "us vs. them" matchup for our first crack at this as you could ask for. Even the slightest, most casual, NFL fan could tell you that the 2010 Oakland Raiders can run the ball. And that the 2010 Seattle Seahawks can defend the run. We'll start there.
Oakland's Rushing Offense
Gets 4.7 yards per carry, 158 yards per game, with 8 rushing TD's scored.
Seattle's Rushing Defense
Allows 3.3 yards per carry, 77.5 yards per game, while allowing 4 rushing TD's.
That slightest, most casual, NFL fan would be right. Oakland ranks #3 in the NFL in rushing the ball; while Seattle ranks #2 in stopping it. It's a matchup to watch for, and if the old adage of "Defense wins championships" holds any water - look for the Seahawks to have the slight edge here in this one. (Especially since Darren McFadden is probably still a little winded from his rather decent performance last week against the Denver Broncos) With a top WR sidelined, and a QB question mark for Oakland - look for the stout Seahawk front to get some extra help if they need it.
Oakland's Offensive Line
32 QB hits allowed, with 20 sacks.
Seattle's Pass Rush
16 sacks.
This number directly feeds off of what we discussed above, but it's an important one to look at. If the Seahawks can shut down the run on 1st down, or force the Raiders into passing mode, obviously, the arrow swings into Seattle's favor. Neither Jason Campbell, nor Bruce Gradkowski, has been very effective this year. Nor has the Oakland WR corp. Ask that same slightest, most casual, NFL fan - he'll tell you the same thing.
Oakland's Special Teams
15/20 Field Goals.
Seattle's Special Teams
9/9 Field Goals.
Drawing a direct correlation to the high number of field goals, one can read as the Oakland Raider offense sputters to some early stops on some drives. Then again, so does Seattle - but I like those percentages.
Oakland's Passing Defense
3 TD's allowed.
Seattle's Passing Offense
6 TD's scored.
Mike Williams has been on fire coming out of the bye. He might come back down to earth a little bit here. Oakland's secondary has been it's strong point as of late - and they are only getting better. Red zone passing attempts should be kept to a minimum when the Seahawks have possession.
Oakland's 3rd Down Conversion %
36% (36/101).
Seattle's defense 3rd Down Conversion %
34% (30/89).
In the end, I think this game comes down to a very important stat. It's a stat that probably doesn't need much explanation, as I think you can see the tie-in to all the stats listed above. However - a stat that absolutely jumps off the page is the Seattle's defense on 3rd downs over the last 2 games: 2/24. That's right folks. Seattle held Chicago to 0/12 on 3rd down, then followed up with a 2/12 effort against the Cardinals. If they can shut down the Raiders ground game - it's a trend we like to continue.
Game Plans
Putting all the numbers together, and crunching them as we've done - I think we can guess at the Seahawks defensive game plan here. Stop the run, force the Raiders to pass and find themselves in quite a few 3rd and long situations.
Offensively, we foresee a heavy dose of 'Beast-mode' from Lynch, especially in the red zone. Ball control and clock killing will be to the Seahawks advantage. Even if the offense chokes out and stalls on a few drives - they should be able to come away with at least 3 on the leg of Mare pretty easily.
Final Thoughts
Going into 'The Black Hole' in Oakland is always a scary thing to do. If not for the team on the field, then at least for the crowd in the stands. Add in the fact that this game happens to fall on Halloween? Look out. Should be plenty of camera crowd pans in this one.
We'll pick out some of the more glaring and/or intriguing numbers and give you our take on them.
Let's crunch.
We get as easy of an "us vs. them" matchup for our first crack at this as you could ask for. Even the slightest, most casual, NFL fan could tell you that the 2010 Oakland Raiders can run the ball. And that the 2010 Seattle Seahawks can defend the run. We'll start there.
Oakland's Rushing Offense
Gets 4.7 yards per carry, 158 yards per game, with 8 rushing TD's scored.
Seattle's Rushing Defense
Allows 3.3 yards per carry, 77.5 yards per game, while allowing 4 rushing TD's.
That slightest, most casual, NFL fan would be right. Oakland ranks #3 in the NFL in rushing the ball; while Seattle ranks #2 in stopping it. It's a matchup to watch for, and if the old adage of "Defense wins championships" holds any water - look for the Seahawks to have the slight edge here in this one. (Especially since Darren McFadden is probably still a little winded from his rather decent performance last week against the Denver Broncos) With a top WR sidelined, and a QB question mark for Oakland - look for the stout Seahawk front to get some extra help if they need it.
Oakland's Offensive Line
32 QB hits allowed, with 20 sacks.
Seattle's Pass Rush
16 sacks.
This number directly feeds off of what we discussed above, but it's an important one to look at. If the Seahawks can shut down the run on 1st down, or force the Raiders into passing mode, obviously, the arrow swings into Seattle's favor. Neither Jason Campbell, nor Bruce Gradkowski, has been very effective this year. Nor has the Oakland WR corp. Ask that same slightest, most casual, NFL fan - he'll tell you the same thing.
Oakland's Special Teams
15/20 Field Goals.
Seattle's Special Teams
9/9 Field Goals.
Drawing a direct correlation to the high number of field goals, one can read as the Oakland Raider offense sputters to some early stops on some drives. Then again, so does Seattle - but I like those percentages.
Oakland's Passing Defense
3 TD's allowed.
Seattle's Passing Offense
6 TD's scored.
Mike Williams has been on fire coming out of the bye. He might come back down to earth a little bit here. Oakland's secondary has been it's strong point as of late - and they are only getting better. Red zone passing attempts should be kept to a minimum when the Seahawks have possession.
Oakland's 3rd Down Conversion %
36% (36/101).
Seattle's defense 3rd Down Conversion %
34% (30/89).
In the end, I think this game comes down to a very important stat. It's a stat that probably doesn't need much explanation, as I think you can see the tie-in to all the stats listed above. However - a stat that absolutely jumps off the page is the Seattle's defense on 3rd downs over the last 2 games: 2/24. That's right folks. Seattle held Chicago to 0/12 on 3rd down, then followed up with a 2/12 effort against the Cardinals. If they can shut down the Raiders ground game - it's a trend we like to continue.
Game Plans
Putting all the numbers together, and crunching them as we've done - I think we can guess at the Seahawks defensive game plan here. Stop the run, force the Raiders to pass and find themselves in quite a few 3rd and long situations.
Offensively, we foresee a heavy dose of 'Beast-mode' from Lynch, especially in the red zone. Ball control and clock killing will be to the Seahawks advantage. Even if the offense chokes out and stalls on a few drives - they should be able to come away with at least 3 on the leg of Mare pretty easily.
Final Thoughts
Going into 'The Black Hole' in Oakland is always a scary thing to do. If not for the team on the field, then at least for the crowd in the stands. Add in the fact that this game happens to fall on Halloween? Look out. Should be plenty of camera crowd pans in this one.
| 74 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
