Oakland Raiders: The good, bad, and ugly from preseason win over Seahawks

Good: No Turnovers

Stop the presses! For the first time this preseason, the Raiders did not turn the ball over.

Again, meaningless game played primarily by a bunch of guys who won’t see the active roster, but the fact that the Raiders held on to the ball, and didn’t give it up is commendable.

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In 2016, the Raiders were in the upper half of the league in turnover differential, which helped them along the way to a 12-4 record, and to secure a playoff berth.

Last season, they were among the worst, giving the ball up 28 times, but generating only 14 takeaways of their own, for their -14 turnover differential – only Denver and Cleveland were worse in the category.

It’s no surprise then, that Oakland struggled to a 6-10, very much out of the playoff picture season.

So far this preseason, things haven’t looked all that much better. Through the first three games, quarterback E.J. Manuel lost a fumble in each game, quarterback Connor Cook added an interception, and the Raiders turned the ball over far too many times, and generated too few takeaways of their own.

That is a recipe for disaster as there is a direct correlation between turnover differential and a team’s success during the season. Look at Oakland’s night and day performances and record in 2016 and 2017 as definitive proof.

If the Raiders are going to find their 2016 playoff form again under Jon Gruden, they are going to need to start generating some takeaways while minimizing their own turnovers.