Raiders-Broncos on ‘Thursday Night Football’: What We Learned from Denver’s 10-7 win
The Broncos secured their seventh consecutive win, but it was disappointing. The gloom of a slow start returned Thursday night, but this time it lasted all night. You can’t underestimate seven consecutive wins in an NFL season, but the Broncos didn’t look sharp enough and might have lost to a better team. They fell behind early and couldn’t get anything going on their first four drives, all three-and-outs, and then lost three more, including two Bo Nix interceptions. One was Troy Franklin’s mistake, but the first mistake before halftime cost them points. The Broncos were losing the battle for field position early with poor punting and seven penalties in the first half. Then they started the second half with a penalty on a kick return and the first offensive play, leading to a quick three-and-out—instead of a statement drive that could have re-energized the irate Mile High crowd. That never happened. They simply tired out the Raiders, using the late time to bring a merciful end to a bad game.
The Raiders failed to capitalize on their upset opportunity. The Raiders had the upset formula ready from the start. They controlled the clock for most of the first quarter and began to put some pressure on the Broncos’ defense. They forced the Broncos to punt twice at the 1- and 2-yard lines. But after a terrible catch by Jack Bech and a thwarted 32-yard run by Ashton Jeanty, things began to fall apart offensively. The Raiders’ touchdown was nullified by a penalty on Donte Thornton Jr. on a fourth-down sack by Geno Smith, and Thornton lost the ball, which could have been a big gain late in the first half. The absence of both of the Raiders’ starting guards also didn’t help matters. Jeanty dropped a pass that was picked off, and he missed a pass-protection assignment that led to a grounding call on Smith, which then led to a blocked punt and the go-ahead field goal. Not targeting Brock Bowers after halftime was also a crucial decision.
Denver’s defense once again came to the rescue. The Raiders converted a short field goal into a touchdown early on, part of another poor performance by the Broncos’ special teams, but that was the only time Denver’s defense failed to pass the test. Otherwise, this team – once again playing without Patrick Surtain II – was excellent. It’s true that the Raiders proved to be their own worst enemy at times, losing two starting offensive linemen during the game. But the Broncos established momentum early with five sacks (six total) in the first half, bringing their season total to an astounding 46 in 10 games. According to Next Gen Stats, Nick Bonitto once again proved to be a monster, racking up 1.5 sacks and eight pressures. One of these sacks came on fourth down, leading to Denver’s only TD of the game. Containing Brock Bowers (a 31-yard catch on three targets) and not allowing Ashton Jeanty to break loose were major successes. The Raiders defense did everything you could have hoped for. It’s easy to say Denver’s offense was faltering, and seven offensive penalties certainly confirm that. But it would be unfair to not give the Raiders defense credit for Thursday night’s effort. They put enough pressure on Bo Nix (16 of 28 for a season-low 150 yards) to keep him honest, and they did a great job of cornering him in the pocket and preventing him from using his legs with a disciplined zone defense. When they attacked selectively, the Raiders found success, holding Nix to 2-of-5 passing for 9 yards. The formula was clearly to play a field-position game, and the Raiders forced the Broncos into third-and-short numerous times and stopped them a few times. Maxx Crosby was everywhere in short yardage, also providing quality pass rush. After the Broncos’ punt was blocked deep in Raiders territory, the defense pushed them back. However, the defense can’t be blamed in this case.
The Broncos’ passing game needs to improve its timing. The Raiders found ways to disrupt the Broncos’ passing game, but the Broncos were also guilty of dropped passes and inaccurate throws. Even on a windy night, their performance was surprisingly poor. Bo Nix caught an interception late in the first half when there was nothing there, and he was fortunate not to have several other passes caught early. Troy Franklin dropped a pass that turned into an interception, one of Denver’s many drops. There were at least three in the first half. Pat Bryant provided a major offensive highlight with a 43-yard catch and run, but he also lost a catch later on an offensive pass interference call. Evan Engram struggled early, having only two catches for 12 yards on five targets. The offense has shown explosive potential, but against a Raiders defense that most teams are used to, the Broncos haven’t been able to complete even routine passes on several occasions. This needs to improve.
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