Seahawks Are Slipping Into Some Old Habits

As Oakland Coach Jon Gruden ran toward the stands to slap hands with raucous Raider fans, Seattle’s Mike Holmgren was left wondering about a player’s health and his team’s sloppy play for a second consecutive game.

Rich Gannon, overcoming a broken wrist and a strained thigh, threw touchdown passes of 14 and five yards to Tim Brown as the Raiders took a 17-point lead in the second quarter and held on for a 30-21 victory over the Seahawks Sunday.

Seattle (8-4) was again undermined by turnovers. Ricky Watters fumbled twice and Jon Kitna, who threw five interceptions and lost a fumble in a 16-3 loss to Tampa Bay last week, was picked off twice by the Raiders (6-6).

Just when they looked to be a lock for a postseason spot, the Seahawks are beginning to resemble the woeful Seattle teams that have missed the playoffs an NFL-high 10 consecutive seasons.

“We have to eliminate the turnovers that have plagued us the last two weeks,” Holmgren said. “We have to put a stop to that, or it’s going to get pretty tight over the next couple of weeks.”

Adding to Seattle’s woes, cornerback Chris Canty was taken off the field on a cart late in the game. Canty’s neck was put in a brace as players on both teams prayed and watched anxiously from the sidelines. He was taken for X-rays to determine the extent of the injury.

“He had a concussion on the field,” Holmgren said. “He had movement in his legs, movement in his fingers. He got knocked pretty good, but any time there’s movement that’s a good sign.”

Gannon, who pedaled on a stationary bike between series to keep his thigh from tightening up, was 19 for 24 for 253 yards. Zack Crockett had a one-yard scoring run and Michael Husted, whose inconsistency led the Raiders to audition kickers this past week, had field goals of 41, 23 and 18 yards.