Dud No. 3 – 1st Half Pass Rush
Through five games, Denver has the best pass rush in the NFL with 22 sacks, but the Raiders have one of the best pass protection units in the league, having allowed just 21 hits on Derek Carr. It was strength against strength in the first half and the Raiders, for the most part, won the battle.
Denver logged just one sack on Carr and no other tackles for loss. Carr was 11-for-14 for 135 yards and a touchdown. He stayed almost entirely upright and the Broncos gave up several plays in the flat being overly aggressive in their pursuit.
The Raiders took a 7-6 lead into the locker room that easily could have been a 10-6 margin had Sebastian Janikowski not had a kick inexplicably blocked.
To make matters worse, former All-Pro and September Defensive Player of the Month DeMarcus Ware was carted off during the second quarter on Sunday and did not return to the game. The Broncos defensive captain suffered a back injury. His absence was immediately felt as the pass rush wasn’t nearly as effective in the first half against Oakland as it had been in the previous four games.
