The Denver Broncos dominated across many of the big stat lines, but it took an interception in the red zone inside of two minutes to lock up a 16-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders.
Denver allowed 254 total yards, including just 89 in the second half – yet the game still came down to a final stop.
Oakland’s first four drives of the second half produced negative 31 yards, but the Raiders managed to hang around as the Broncos let numerous opportunities to run away with the game slip from their grasp.
It was an inauspicious start for Denver, as C.J. Anderson was stuffed for no gain on the first play of the game and Trevor Siemian was sacked for a 10-yard loss on the second play. Mario Edwards Jr. beat Max Garcia to put Denver in an ugly situation on the first possession of the game.
Denver responded with a three-and-out on Oakland’s first possession, though. Denver would force a combined eight three-and-out and turnover on downs possessions on the day.
Trevor Siemian turned to his No. 3 receiver early in the ensuing drive, connecting with Bennie Fowler for a pair of first-down throws – including a key third-and-seven to keep the drive alive at midfield. Siemian snuck one to tight end A.J. Derby on the right sideline on the next play for a gain of 29 to get deep into Oakland territory. Derby was on the receiving end again on the very next play with a nifty grab. Derby ran a wheel route from the fullback position, where Simian lofted a ball that the tight end corralled one-handed and then tip-toed into the end zone to put Denver up 7-0. It was Derby’s first career touchdown.
The Denver defense stepped up on the next drive with a big assist from the fans, forcing another three-and-out thanks in part to a crowd-induced false start penalty. Oakland was also flagged for a hold and a (declined) hands to the face on the drive.
Isaiah McKenzie sent another jolt of energy into the raucous crowd when he took the resulting punt 64 yards deep into Oakland territory, only to have it negated by a holding penalty on rookie safety Jamal Carter.
The Denver offense got started at their own 10-yard line after the penalty, but wasted no time moving the chains. Siemian hit Emmanuel Sanders for a 15-yard gain on the first play of the drive. Jamaal Charles carried for 16 on the next. Then Siemian again hit Sanders on the left side, this time on a beautiful toe-drag catch leading him out of bounds. Siemian and offensive coordinator Mike McCoy continued to attack the Oakland secondary, targeting Demaryius Thomas deep in Oakland territory where he would draw a pass interference penalty to set up first-and-goal from the Raiders’ nine-yard line. The drive dried up there, though, and ended with a Brandon McManus field goal to stretch Denver’s lead to 10-0.
Oakland showed some life on special teams when Cordarrelle Patterson took the next kickoff 49 yards out of the end zone to give his team great field position on their third drive, but the Denver D again was relentless. A pair of incompletions and a two-yard run resulted in another Marquette King punt, this one to end the first quarter.
Denver had to work deep out of their own territory, beginning the drive at the five-yard line. C.J. Anderson got the ball on three straight carries to convert a tough first down. Siemian almost had a ball picked off by Reggie Nelson and Derby could not hold on to a third-down pass over the middle to end the drive after six plays.
Derek Carr and the Oakland offense finally picked up their first first down of the game at the 10:55 mark of the second quarter. Oakland continued to press into Broncos territory, where head coach Jack Del Rio elected to go for it on fourth-and-one from the Denver 31. Denver’s top-ranked rush defense held the line and took over on downs. The kick would have been a 50-yard field goal attempt.
The Broncos again tried to attack Oakland downfield on the ensuing drive, targeting McKenzie deep but missing. Riley Dixon showed that King wasn’t the only weapon in the punt game Sunday, pinning the Raiders on their one-yard line.
Carr, passing from an empty backfield on the first play of the drive, found Lee Smith to give Oakland a little breathing room. Jalen Richard scampered for 20 yards on third-and-six to keep the drive alive. Carr took advantage on the next play, hitting Johnny Holton one-on-one with Darian Stewart in coverage for a 64-yard touchdown pass. In total, it was a 99-yard touchdown drive that used just 2:23 minutes.
Demaryius Thomas picked up a quick first down for Denver, then Anderson appeared to convert on third-and-one before a late holding flag came out against Ron Leary to put Denver in a third-and-11. Jamaal Charles, who came out of the game for some time with a cut to his right leg prior, took a screen pass 14 yards for a first down. Another penalty against Leary – a false start – set up another long-yardage situation for Siemian, who took a sack on third-and-15 rather than risking a tough throw running to his left.
Denver held up on defense with 1:00 remaining in the half, limiting Oakland to seven yards on three plays and a deliberate throw away by Carr to end the half with Denver leading 10-7.
Oakland opened the second half with a three-and-out, backing up three yards on the drive due in part to an ineligible man downfield penalty on first down. The Denver D continued to keep Marshawn Lynch in check. The running back ended the game with just 12 yards on nine carries.
C.J. Anderson picked up a pair of big runs to open the ensuing drive, first for eight yards and then getting loose on the right side for 40 yards to the Oakland 25. A sack on Siemian by Khalil Mack on the next play and then another pressure on third down forced Denver’s second field goal attempt of the game. Siemian was sacked four times in the game for a loss of 24 yards. McManus connected from 36 yards this time to extend Denver’s lead to 13-7.
Will Parks made an outstanding open-field tackle on the kickoff to force Oakland to start the next drive from their own 20. Shaquil Barrett snuck into the backfield on second down to set up a third-and-11. Derek Wolfe would finish off the drive with a sack of Carr to force a Raiders punt out of their own end zone.
McKenzie finally got free on a punt – and with no penalties to bring him back – going for 29 yards to give the Broncos the ball at the Oakland 31 to start their second drive of the half. Anderson immediately got to work with a 12-yard run on first down. Disaster almost happened two plays later when it looked like Mack had a strip-sack of Siemian, beating Donald Stephenson, but review ruled the quarterback down before the ball came loose. McManus converted another field goal – this one from 46-yards out – to make it a two-score game with 5:12 remaining in the third.
Denver’s relentless pressure on Carr continued on the next drive, as Shelby Harris got to the QB and he was finished off by a swarm of Broncos. Carr had to exit the the game with a back injury, giving way to EJ Manuel. The backup connected on two straight passes, but only for 8 total yards effectively negated by a delay of game penalty. A failed fake punt and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against King gave the Broncos the ball at the Oakland 15-yard line.
Siemian connected with Sanders for the third time on the day to set up first-and-goal from the four. The wind was sucked out of the stadium when Karl Joseph blitzed off the right edge and batted a ball into the air with about four Raiders swarming it. Sanders, however, made his biggest catch of the game to that point, coming out of nowhere to grab it and keep the ball in Denver’s possession. The drive ended with a bigger thud, though, when McManus missed a 29-yard field goal.
Von Miller wouldn’t let the momentum shift to Oakland, however. Miller recorded his fourth sack of the season on third-and-four to force yet another Raiders punt. On the day, Oakland was just two-for-15 in third- and fourth-down situations.
Denver would try and play the ball control game for the rest of the day, but Manuel and the Oakland offense took advantage of zone coverage on his second full possession. The former Bills starter moved his unit 73 yards downfield and nearly hit Jared Cook in the end zone on third-and-10 from the Denver 20. Fortunately for Denver the ball went through Cook’s hands and Oakland was forced to settle for a field goal, making it 16-10.
The Broncos went three-and-out on their next possession to give Manuel the ball back at his own 42 with 4:16 remaining and a chance to take the lead.
Out of timeouts, Manuel continued to march Oakland down the field. He would have first-and-10 on the Denver 36-yard line at the two-minute warning. A false start coming out of the two-minute break helped, and after a near-pick by Chris Harris the Broncos made the game-changing play. Manuel lofted a 50/50 ball up for Amari Cooper and Justin Simmons came up with the interception at the eight-yard line.
Siemian and the Broncos could take a knee from there on out.
With the win, Denver improves to 3-1 on the season (3-0 at home and 2-0 in the division). Oakland falls to 2-2.
