The Denver Broncos added to their NFL-record consecutive divisional road victories streak Sunday afternoon, but not before some drama took place at O.co Coliseum in Oakland.
The Broncos needed some bizarre plays to steal their fifth victory of the season and come out of California with a 16-10 win over the Raiders. The offense continued to struggle and the defense, once again, made the game-changing play just when it was most needed.
The game began with both team’s opening drives ending in punts. The third drive of the game lasted 12 plays and ended with a 38-yard Sebastian Janikowski attempt. The low line-drive was blocked by Sylvester Williams and signaled what would be a long-day for the 16-year veteran kicker.
The Broncos took advantage of the missed points and drove down the field, aided by a 45-yard reception by Emmanuel Sanders, but were denied a touchdown. Brandon McManus made his first field goal attempt of 25 yards for the 3-0 lead just seconds into the second quarter.
Derek Carr then led the Raiders on a quick drive filled with big pass plays that ended with a short throw to Marcel Reece for a three-yard touchdown. They seemed to have found some holes in the Broncos defense on the drive but could not duplicate the success in the second half.
Manning then led a 10-play drive down the field with only seconds left in the half. On 3rd-and-9 in the red zone, Manning was pressured and quickly got rid of the ball, throwing in Owen Daniels’ direction. Charles Woodson, safety for the Raiders, caught the errant pass and stopped the Broncos from retaking the lead. The Raiders held the 7-3 lead into halftime but it was the only one they would have for the entire day.
The Broncos added two field goals in the third quarter, one aided by Von Miller stripping the ball from Carr and held the Raiders scoreless. Manning was intercepted for the second time of the day by Woodson but the Raiders could not capitalize on the turnover.
Entering the final quarter of play the Broncos led the game, 9-7. On the first play of the quarter Janikowski missed a 50-yard attempt, wide left. The biggest play of the day would come after another failed Broncos drive and on a possession in which the Raiders appeared to be gaining momentum. Carr dropped back on 3rd-and-5 with 7:05 left in the game. He looked to the middle of the field and thew to Seth Roberts. Chris Harris Jr. read the play perfectly and jumped in front of the throw, intercepted the ball and was off to the races. He returned the pass for a 74-yard touchdown.
After a failed 14-play drive by the Raiders and a quick three-and-out by the Broncos the Raiders made a 50-yard field goal to get the score to 10-19. The miscues on the field goals were the difference in the game and despite the Broncos two interceptions, they still won the turnover battle, causing three.
Who had the best and worst quote of the day? Read on…
Best quote of the day
“I’m proud of my defense. These guys are playing hard. Everybody is trying to make a play. Everybody is itching to make a play. It just happened to be my day today. Next week it might be someone else. You never know who it is going to be. You have a team full of playmakers on defense and if you get the win on ‘D’, we feel like we can do it.” – Chris Harris Jr.
Worst quote of the day
“We didn’t do what we needed to do offensively-didn’t score enough points, didn’t take advantage of some red zone opportunities, the turnover before half cost us some points. We need to do a better job.” – Peyton Manning
Who were our MVPs? Read on…
MVP
Chris Harris Jr. made the play of the game and possibly the season. The Broncos were floundering at the time and the Raiders appeared to have the momentum. They had just passed the 50-yard line and were having success on short, intermediate routes. The Broncos brought a blitz that pressured Carr and Harris Jr. made a quick read on the throw.
“The great thing about our backs ‐ those guys when they get their hands on the ball, they make those plays. It’s those types of things. Chris [Harris Jr.] did it all week. He had about three or four picks in practice throughout the course of the week, and he makes a play like that. It’s just a hell of a job,” head coach Gary Kubiak said after the game.
Honorable mention: Miller and Jackson had great days along the defensive line. Jackson had six tackles, one for a loss and a sack. Miller caused a crucial turnover when he juked the Raiders right tackle and simply stole the ball from Carr. He added two tackles and quarterback hurry.
Offensive MVP
Emmanuel Sanders bailed out the offense on several occasions Sunday. He added nine receptions and 111 receiving yards to his season totals. Manning and Demaryius Thomas couldn’t connect consistently throughout the game so Sanders had to carry the passing game.
The offense struggled in every facet of the game. They finished with only 43 rushing yards and Thomas had only 55 receiving yards on the day. Without Sanders getting open often, the game could have slipped away from the Broncos.
Honorable mention: The offensive line held up for most of the day against a very dynamic defensive line. They only gave up two sacks to a team that has Aldon Smith and Khalil Mack. However, the lack of rushing attack is alarming.
What stat popped out? Read on…
Best statistic of the game
The Broncos defense buckled down after some early struggles in the game. In-between the Raiders touchdown and field goal they forced three turnovers and gave up zero points on six drives (excluding a kneel down at halftime).
“We ball search and fly to the ball. Everyone is hustling to the ball, trying to make that tackle, trying to get a hand on an assist, and they’re ready for anything to happen. We got guys running to the ball, knocking a thrown ball, making good tackles, interceptions…things like that happen when you have a lot of guys running free,” T.J. Ward said of the defense’s mentality Sunday.
Worst statistic of the night
The Broncos offense was terrible at critical times in Sunday’s victory. They finished 2-for-13 on third downs and went 0-for-3 inside the red zone with one interception. Through five weeks of the season they have been in the bottom third of the league on third downs. It is a problem that Kubiak is obviously concerned about.
“We have to play a hell of a lot better. It starts with me, the offensive coach,” Kubiak said. “You know, we have to get better offensively. The sad thing is that we do some good stuff, but we don’t finish anything. That’s what is disappointing.”
Who was our LVP and what’s next? Read on…
LVP
Peyton Manning has become a turnover machine through five weeks. The offense as a whole is underperforming but Manning is the one placing the team is sticky situations far too often. He threw two more interceptions Sunday, totaling seven this season. If the offensive line can get healthy and the running game improves, Manning’s problems may subside but if Sunday’s game is any indication, that may not happen soon.
Up next
The Broncos will travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns (2-3) next Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns have improved the last few seasons and are coming off a big overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Broncos will be hoping that DeMarcus Ware, who left Sunday’s game early due to a back injury, and left tackle Ty Sambrailo can return to the starting lineup. The win over the Raiders gave the Broncos a three game lead in the AFC West. Kansas City also lost Sunday and the San Diego Chargers face the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday night.
*all stats and quotes provided by the Denver Broncos Media Relations
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