Seahawks rule out four starters as Raiders list Thornton questionable

Final injury reports are out, and for once the paperwork cuts the Raiders' way.

Seattle ruled out four players for Sunday's game at Allegiant Stadium: quarterback Sam Darnold (ribs and quadriceps), left tackle Charles Cross (ankle), left guard Quenton Nelson (knee) and defensive tackle Leonard Williams (stinger). The Seahawks' own report carried better news for Seattle elsewhere: edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu and receiver Rashid Shaheed are back after missing two games, and defensive tackle Jarran Reed returns from a personal matter. Drew Lock starts again.

Read it like a balance sheet. Seattle is handing a backup quarterback a line missing both left-side starters. Raiders Wire noted that Josh Jones filled in for Cross last week, a real drop from a former ninth overall pick, and that Reed again starts in place of Williams, a three-time Pro Bowler.

Las Vegas listed only two players as questionable on its own report, and CBS Sports pointed out that the two are trending in opposite directions. Defensive tackle Thomas Booker was limited Wednesday and Thursday with an ankle injury, then went full on Friday. Receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. landed on the report for the first time with a back injury after missing Friday entirely. Thornton has not played a snap this season. He came off injured reserve on Oct. 27 and has been inactive since.

Opinion, clearly labelled: these absences matter more to the Raiders' defense than to Fernando Mendoza. Las Vegas gives up more points (29.8 a game) and more yards (385.4) than any team in the league. Rob Leonard's unit does not get many gifts, and a Seattle offense without its starting quarterback and both left-side linemen is the closest thing to one it has seen all season.

Mendoza's half of it stays hard. Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein reported that Seattle has allowed the fewest yards per game in the league through nine weeks, and that only three defenses have surrendered fewer points. Kubiak says the plan will not be trimmed for the rookie, that the Raiders are "not peeling back anything." Las Vegas is a home underdog anyway.

Two things to watch. Booker going full on Friday usually means he plays, so Thornton is the live game-day call. And watch whether Kubiak trusts the run at all. The Raiders average 2.89 yards a carry, last in the NFL, which is a thin plank on which to stand a rookie quarterback.