LONDON – The Raiders will play their fourth international game in five seasons on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. This one kicks off at London’s Wembley Stadium, which will be adorned in silver and black.
It is, after all, a Raiders “home game.” As a matter of fact, the Raiders have hosted every international game during this stretch.
This isn’t forced. The Raiders begrudgingly accept this arrangement as the cost of doing business while moving markets. They’re leaving for Las Vegas in 2020, and will give up a home game every year until they’re gone.
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Expect next year’s international game to be played in Mexico, as the Raiders did in 2016 and 2017.
Hosting international games isn't unique to the Raiders. The Rams, Chargers and Raiders all play in temporary venues while new stadiums are being built, and it’s no coincidence all three are giving up a home game to London this season.
Nobody, however, does this more than the Silver and Black.
They’re 1-2 in international games, and will try and improve that mark against an improving Seahawks squad that nearly beat the L.A. Rams next week.
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The Seahawks are two-point favorites in this game, a number that may have been different if the game were played in Oakland. East Bay games are filled with Raiders fans, drowning out any opposing cheers.
This London game will be loaded with international fans mostly excited about the NFL product over a specific team. The Raiders have a strong presence overseas, but this game won’t provide a true home-field advantage.
“I think it’s going to be an exciting event,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said. “Nobody has home field, so we just go ahead and go for it kind of like a bowl game, and we’ll go make the most of it.”
Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is a self-described homebody, who doesn’t like long travel. He also has a kinship with the East Bay, so he can’t love a home game being shipped overseas. He won’t criticize it either – previous head coach Jack Del Rio openly lamented losing a home game each year – in an effort to promote NFL games abroad.
“You hate to lose a home game, honestly, but for the betterment of the game, I think it’s exciting,” Gruden said. “It’s great for the game of football.”
It’s good for the international brand, and could well convert some English fans to the dark side. It does, however, take away another good game from East Bay fans.
They have lost opportunities to see their Raiders play Miami (2014), Houston (2016) and New England (2017) in recent years. Losing that Patriots game hurt the most. The Raiders hadn’t hosted the Patriots since the infamous Tuck Rule game, and last season would’ve been the first to jeer Tom Brady – he has trolled Raiders fans on social media before – but the game was slotted for Mexico instead.
This Seahawks game is lost to England, taking steam from a game with several connections between teams. This would’ve been Seahawks kicker Sebastian Janikowski’s first game against a franchise that employed him nearly two decades.
That angle, among many others, is certainly lessened by the playing site, where focus will remain on playing abroad and how the Raiders especially respond to unique travel plans.
They arrived Friday afternoon local time, and must adjust after a long flight and a massive time change posthaste.
“The travel is the biggest thing here, especially being on a plane so long,” middle linebacker Derrick Johnson said. “Both teams have to do it so nobody has an advantage. It doesn’t help flying that long, but the experience over there is great.”