The Seahawks will play the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday as former Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak coaches his offence and No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza makes his first career start.
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The Seahawks are preparing to host the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday, a matchup that brings former Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak back to face his old team.
Kubiak, now the Raiders’ head coach, returns to Seattle connections that go beyond familiarity at game planning. In 2025, he served as offensive coordinator for Seattle and played a role in the team’s championship season.
Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said he and Kubiak share “a lot of parallels,” noting that the Raiders have “evolved” and are “building it around the people that they have.” Macdonald added that Kubiak’s group is moving the ball and putting up points.
Macdonald also described Kubiak’s approach from their time working together, saying Kubiak was an “unselfish” team player who could be direct without “sugarcoating it” and maintained the personal emotions out of it while still speaking “the truth.”
Receiver Cooper Kupp said Kubiak’s coaching was rooted in his character and daily habits, including ball knowledge, work ethic and the way he conducts himself.
While the Seahawks are approaching the game with a coach-versus-former-team storyline, Kubiak said he is not trying to make the week about his past, telling reporters in Las Vegas that the focus should remain on preparation for the opponent and for each player’s technique, study and film.
Kubiak also reflected on how his year in Seattle prepared him for head coaching, pointing to an “all-football building” from the team’s leadership down through Macdonald and general manager John Schneider.
In Macdonald’s view, the coaching familiarity still has enough change to keep the game from feeling repetitive, comparing it to an early-season divisional contest where “We know each other, but we also know that we are different.”
Beyond the coaching matchup, Seattle’s defensive preparation includes a quarterback change for Las Vegas. The Raiders traded quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Vikings this week, creating the opportunity for No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza to make his first career start.
Defensive tackle Byron Murphy II said the lack of tape for Mendoza is a challenge, but added that based on what Seattle has seen, the rookie can “make all the throws.” Murphy also said the defence will focus on getting after him as a unit, with communication and rushing “as one.”
The Seahawks practised on Wednesday, November 11 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center as they readied for the Week 10 matchup against the Raiders.
Macdonald said Seattle will use the information available to them, while recognizing they cannot rely solely on assumptions about how a quarterback will play, and will adjust as the game unfolds.
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