SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks haven’t made it easy on themselves this season, but on Sunday afternoon they survived again.

The injury-plagued Seahawks overcame a second-half rally from the NFL’s worst team to hold off the Oakland Raiders 30-24, giving Seattle (5-3) back-to-back wins for only the second time this season.

“A win is a win,” defensive end Cliff Avril said. “But that being said, we’ve got to play four quarters completely. We played three quarters, then (in) the fourth quarter, we took our foot off the pedal a little bit.”

Running back Marshawn Lynch rushed for two first-half touchdowns before winless Oakland made two furious comeback attempts in the driving rain after halftime. Two Derek Carr touchdown passes to tight end Mychal Rivera kept the Raiders in the game before Seattle’s Jermaine Kearse recovered an onside kick with 1:48 remaining to clinch the Seahawks victory.

“We came here to win a football game; we didn’t come here to come close,” Raiders interim coach Tony Sparano said.

Lynch’s two touchdowns helped the Seahawks storm out to a 24-3 halftime lead, but a blocked punt and long punt return helped the Raiders pull within a touchdown, at 24-17, in the third quarter.

Seattle kicker Steven Hauschka made three of four field goals, including two in the opening six minutes of the fourth quarter to put the Seahawks back in control.

Carr completed 24 of 41 passes for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but the rookie also threw two interceptions.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was 17 of 35 for 179 yards.

The Raiders (0-8) had three first-half turnovers as they extended their worst season start since 1962. Oakland made a game of it after falling behind by 21 points at halftime, thanks in large part to special teams.

Raiders defensive lineman Denico Autry blocked a Jon Ryan punt early in the third quarter, then teammate Bruce Butler recovered it in the end zone to pull Oakland within 24-10 at the 13:52 mark of the third quarter.

“I just kind of snuck in,” said Autry, who ran in uncontested when Seahawks linebacker Brock Coyle went to block another Raider.

Eleven minutes later, after a 27-yard punt return by TJ Carrie gave the Raiders good field position, Carr pulled Oakland within 24-17 on a 1-yard touchdown pass to Rivera.

Hauschka’s two field goals extended the Seattle lead to 30-17 before Oakland made another rally in the closing minutes. Carr led the Raiders on a long drive that resulted in another Rivera 1-yard touchdown that pulled Oakland within 30-24 with 1:52 remaining. But Kearse recovered the onside kick after teammate Cooper Helfet lost control of the ball, with 1:48 remaining to clinch the victory.

Rivera had a team-high eight receptions for 38 yards in the loss.

What the Seahawks said:

“I think maybe six of them were on my own team, so it was all good.” — running back Marshawn Lynch, on carrying a large group of would-be tacklers on his 3-yard touchdown run on the Seahawks’ opening drive

“While we’re getting these wins, there are a lot of things we realize we want to correct.” — safety Earl Thomas

“I don’t think I played well at all, for whatever reason. Usually I know why. … Whatever I was trying to do just wasn’t working.” — quarterback Russell Wilson

“I think we’re going to be OK. Hopefully, we get (S Kam Chancellor and LT Russell Okung) back next week.” — Coach Pete Carroll

What the Raiders said:

“We’re going to keep working hard at it, and this thing is starting to turn.” –Coach Tony Sparano

“First half, we came out kind of dull.” — wide receiver Brice Butler

“We’re 0-8, and I understand it. For all purposes, we aren’t going to the playoffs, but we’ve still got eight games left. We are going to play this season out and see how the chips fall.” –Safety Charles Woodson

What we learned about the Seahawks:

1. The injuries are becoming hard to overcome. Center Max Unger and left tackle Russell Okung were missing from the offensive line, which was a major factor in the running game’s inability to sustain the line of scrimmage again. Safety Kam Chancellor, middle linebacker Bobby Wagner and cornerback Byron Maxwell did not play on a defense that, without all of its parts, looks more ordinary than dominant. Unger and Okung could be back next week, giving a boost to the offense, while the defense could really use some of its parts if it’s going to get on another roll over the second half of the season.

2. Special teams problems are really becoming … well, a problem. Two gaffes cost Seattle in a loss to St. Louis last month, and a blocked punt in Sunday’s game against Oakland allowed the Raiders to get back in it. Things have gotten so bad that even can’t-miss K Steven Hauschka was off target. Special teams were quietly one of the big reasons why Seattle was able to win its first-ever Super Bowl last season. This season, with free-agency defections and injuries sapping some of the Seahawks’ depth, the unit has a long way to go.

–C Max Unger (strained foot) was inactive for the fourth consecutive game. He suited up but did not play, which seems to indicate that he’s got a good chance of playing next Sunday against the Giants. The return of Unger, who was replaced by Patrick Lewis on Sunday, would be a huge boost to the Seattle running game.

–CB Richard Sherman had his first interception of the season Sunday after leading the NFL with eight last season. That Sherman’s interception numbers are down should not come as a surprise; teams are avoiding the Pro Bowler this year. He finally ended the draught by intercepting a back-shoulder pass from Raiders QB Derek Carr in Sunday’s 30-24 win. “I finally got an opportunity,” Sherman said.

–DE Cliff Avril had been a large part of Seattle’s pass-rush difficulties, but he finally got to the quarterback on Sunday. His sack of Oakland’s Derek Carr marked Avril’s second sack of the season and his first since the season opener. “It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “It felt good getting one. That was the longest draught of my career.”

What we learned about the Raiders:

1. QB Derek Carr still has a lot to learn. Carr had another solid outing Sunday, proving that the rookie is Oakland’s best option as a starter, but he is learning on the job. A pair of costly interceptions put the Raiders in a huge hole — and Oakland may have gotten blown out had it not been for a tide-turning blocked punt early in the second half. Carr still makes too many plays to be considered anything less than the answer at quarterback, but he could help himself a lot if he can cut down on the turnovers. Said Seattle S Earl Thomas of Carr: “He has a bright future in this league.”

2. Tony Sparano’s Raiders have some fight left in them. Game 4 of the Sparano era brought a familiar result — Oakland is now 0-4 under Sparano, just like they Raiders were under Dennis Allen — but it did bring a (close your ears, Raider Nation) moral victory in that the game could have easily been a laugher. Trailing 24-3 at the half, the Raiders rallied to pull within a touchdown, at 24-17, in the third quarter. With the way things are going in Oakland this season, maybe close should count in horseshoes, hand grenades and Raider football.

–QB Derek Carr turned in another solid performance but looked like a rookie at times, particularly during the second quarter. Carr threw costly interceptions on back-to-back possessions in helping Seattle storm out to a 24-3 halftime lead. But he bounced back and led Oakland on a pair of key scoring drives in the second half — pulling the Raiders to within 24-17 late in the second quarter and 30-24 in the final two minutes. He completed 24 of 41 passes for 194 yards in the 30-24 loss.

–TE Mychal Rivera is emerging as a goal-line threat. He scored two touchdowns in Sunday’s loss, with both of them coming on leaping receptions from the 1-yard line. Rivera led the Raiders with eight receptions Sunday.

–LB Sio Moore had one of his most productive games on Sunday afternoon. He led the team with 11 tackles and had the Raiders’ only sack. The second-year player shone brighter than star rookie Khalil Mack and continued to improve since returning from a preseason neck injury.