Up next: Oakland Raiders

Published on October 27, 2010 by Seahawks.Com News (Feed)     

When: Sunday, 1:15 p.m., Oakland Coliseum

Record: 3-4 after scoring a franchise-record 59 points in Sunday’s 45-point win over the Broncos in Denver

Where they rank: No. 14 on offense (3rd rushing, 25th passing); No. 16 on defense (28th rushing, 5th passing)

Series: Raiders lead 27-23, but dropped the last meeting on Monday Night Football– Nov. 6, 2006 – where Seattle shut out Oakland, 16-0, at Qwest Field.

Star power: Darren McFadden. The electrifying back who ran for 165 yards and tied a club record by scoring four touchdowns against the Broncos is the Darren McFadden the Raiders envisioned when they made the two-time Heisman runner-up from Arkansas the fourth pick in the 2008 NFL draft. But McFadden missed four games because of injuries last season, three as a rookie and was sidelined for two games this season. There obviously was nothing wrong with McFadden on Sunday, when he averaged 10.3 yards per carry and also scored on runs of 57, 4 and 4 yards, as well as a 19-yard screen pass. He became the fourth player in the 51-year history of the Raiders to score four in the same game – joining Art Powell (1963), Marcus Allen (1984) and Harvey Williams (1997).

Unsung hero: Zach Miller. In a season where six tight ends lead their team in receptions and another 10 rank No. 2 – including the Seahawks’ John Carlson – Miller might be one of the most overlooked. But he shouldn’t be, and can’t be by the Seahawks this week. He leads the Raiders in receptions (33), receiving yards (453) and TD catches (four). His receptions rank fourth among tight ends in the league – just behind the Colts’ Dallas Clark (37), Chargers’ Antonio Gates (35) and Redskins’ Chris Cooley (35). His TD catches rank second only to Gates (eight).

On the spot: Raider Nation. In a Halloween game in the costume capital of the NFL, how can this be? Every Sunday is Halloween at Oakland Coliseum. But the Raiders played before crowds of 75,835 and 69,732 in the past two games – in Denver and across the Bay in San Francisco. Their last home game drew 48,279 fans to the 63,132-seat Coliseum. After Sunday’s big win in Denver, coach Tom Cable offered, “Raider Nation, hear me. We need you in those stands supporting us. We need to have a great 12th man from here on out because we’re doing our part. It’s coming together.”

Burning question: Which Raiders team shows up on Sunday? The one that steamrolled the Broncos by scoring eight touchdowns and rushing for 328 yards – just 28 shy of the franchise record? Or the one that failed to score a TD the week before in the 49ers’ only win of the season? A good place to start in answering this question is to ask: Which Jason Campbell shows up on Sunday? The QB who fashioned a 129.7 passer rating last week by completing 12 of 20 passes for 230 yards and two TDs? Or, the one who had a 10.7 rating in the loss to the 49ers?

Familiar faces: Defensive coordinator John Marshall coached for the Seahawks from 2003-08. Backup OT Khalif Barnes played at the University of Washington.

The last word: “We just played with an intensity they really couldn’t match. Everything was clicking.” – rookie wide receiver Jacoby Ford after Sunday’s romp in Denver

Tags: 2008 Nfl Draft, antonio gates, Chris Cooley, Dallas Clark, Darren Mcfadden, Field Star, Franchise Record, Halloween Game, Harvey Williams, John Carlson, Marcus Allen, Monday Night Football, Monday Night Football Nov 6 2006, nfl draft, Oakland Coliseum, Oakland Raiders, Raider Nation, Tight Ends, Unsung Hero, Zach Miller