(AP) — The four games since Tony Sparano took over as Oakland Raiders interim coach might have been more competitive than the first four under the fired Dennis Allen. The Raiders (0-8) finished the first half of the season as the NFL's only winless team and are assured of a 12th straight season without a winning record after losing 30-24 at defending Super Bowl champion Seattle on Sunday. Sparano said the biggest differences have been players haven't let one bad play mushroom into many more, which was evident when Oakland fell behind by 21 to Seattle thanks to three first-half turnovers only to get right back into the game with a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter. The biggest bright spot for the future is that Oakland is getting positive contributions from many of its younger players, led by rookie quarterback Derek Carr and linebacker Khalil Mack. Mack has been dominant on run defense and has 23 quarterback pressures the past four weeks even though he still is seeking his first sack. Oakland is also getting promising play from other first- and second-year players such as tight end Mychal Rivera, guard Gabe Jackson, linebacker Sio Moore, defensive tackle Justin Ellis and cornerback TJ Carrie.