Man, that one stings. Our Seahawks went toe-to-toe with the Denver Broncos on Sunday, but ultimately fell short in overtime, losing a tough 17-14 battle. It’s an early season gut punch, and honestly, we’re not the only ones feeling some pain out there in the NFL right now. Just look at what went down with the Las Vegas Raiders offense in their 45-17 shellacking by the New England Patriots. While our Hawks were fighting tooth and nail, the Raiders’ wide receivers were putting up numbers that make you scratch your head, highlighting just how tough it can be to get passing games firing on all cylinders this early in the year.
Raiders’ Wideouts Are Barely Visible
The Raiders fell to 3-2 after that beatdown, and their wide receiver room is a big part of the conversation. Tre Tucker led the team in snaps on Sunday, playing 75 percent, which was a season high for him. But what did that translate to? Four catches for 41 yards on five targets. Get this, he has had 49 receiving yards or less in 15 of his past 16 games. That’s a trend nobody wants to see. Cody White saw his snap count drop, playing 37 snaps after hitting a career-high 52 in Week 4. He managed two catches for 44 yards on four targets. Then you’ve got rookie sixth-round pick Malik Benson, who played a career-high 16 snaps, but only snagged one catch for six yards. For the whole season, he’s got just two catches on eight targets for 12 yards. Deven Thompkins, elevated from the practice squad, played 13 snaps and got one catch for eight yards. Dareke Young was out there for 11 snaps, after playing 12 over the previous three games, and didn’t register a single catch. Seriously? The entire Raiders wide receiver corps combined for just eight catches and 99 yards on 14 targets. That’s a tough day at the office.
Where Did the Ball Even Go?
So if the wideouts aren’t getting the rock, who is? The Raiders threw 22 passes to their tight ends and running backs in Week 5. That’s down from a whopping 34 the week before, but it still shows a clear reliance on non-receiver options. We know star tight end Brock Bowers lines up as a receiver often, which certainly factors into things. But when your actual wide receivers are struggling this much, it spells trouble. The Raiders are hoping to spark some more production, with Jalen Nailor and Dont’e Thornton possibly returning this week. They definitely need something to shake things up if they want their passing game to get out of this slump.
For us here in the Emerald City, that overtime loss to Denver still stings. It’s a reminder that every game in the NFL is a battle. While we look ahead to see how our Hawks rebound, it’s clear that teams across the league, like the Raiders, are still trying to find their offensive rhythm and figure things out. Every snap, every game, it all matters this early in the season. We’re on this wild ride together, 12s, ready to see what’s next.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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