Raiders Lose a Sleeper in Seattle

Mercifully, it’s over.

Now, on to something meaningful.

The Raiders under new head coach Hue Jackson ended their exhibition season Friday night with a 20-3 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle.

It marks the first time Oakland (0-4) has been winless in the summer since 1989, when it went on to finish 8-8 in the regular season.

Mostly, it was an exhibition in the truest sense, the last battle of backups before the games turn real next week.

Raiders QB Jason Campbell exited early, running back Darren McFadden didn’t see the field and starters such as defensive tackle Richard Seymour, corner Chris Johnson, wide receiver Louis Murphy and tight end Kevin Boss were just spectators, too. Rookie running back Taiwan Jones, so electric in the third exhibition, was unplugged, carrying just one time for 2 yards.

As Vittorio Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted during the second half, “This game is so boring, Hue might have to put Terrelle Pryor in just so he can stay awake.”

That didn’t happen, either.

The biggest drama came long before kickoff, when Jackson and former Raiders coach Tom Cable -- let go after last season and now an assistant in Seattle -- managed to both be on and around the field yet avoid speaking to one another.

While the loss may have added a little more consternation to Jackson’s life, a “W” on Sept. 2 would have meant nothing but a moral victory.

Jackson earlier this week was prickly, and told reporters it was because he was 0-3.

“Obviously I like to win and I haven’t won yet, so it is pissing me off,” he said.

But, it will all be forgotten by Sunday, when the team begins prepping for the season opener Monday night, Sept. 12, vs. the Broncos. Nobody will remember a winless exhibition season.

Friday night, Campbell left after completing 8-of-11 throws for 76 yards, turning the show over to backups Trent Edwards and Kyle Boller, still fighting for the No. 2 job. Edwards finished 3-of-4 for 18 yards, while Boller was 9-of-19 for 101.

Wide receiver Derek Hagan, who has come on strong, caught two more passes for 29 yards.

The Raiders’ only score came on Sebastian Janikowski’s 34-yard field goal to cap a 12-play, 61-yard drive in the second quarter.

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