Oakland Raiders 30, Denver Broncos 20
Here are the top-graded players and biggest storylines from Oakland’s Week 9 win over Denver on Sunday Night Football.
Quarterback grade: Derek Carr, 70.1
Carr helps Oakland offense to consistently move chains
From the first drive of the game, it was clear Derek Carr intended to attack Broncos CB Bradley Roby throughout the evening, and he did so with success on a variety of slant and in-routes. He completed eight passes into Roby’s coverage (on 14 targets) for 99 yards, five of them going to WR Amari Cooper. While his success on intermediate and downfield passes was limited (he completed just four of 12 throws at least 10 yards through the air), he was very accurate on underneath throws. He completed 16 of 18 throws less than 10 yards from the line of scrimmage, which, coupled with the Raiders' run game, allowed Oakland to control the clock and move the chains with consistency throughout the night.
Top offensive grades:
RB Latavius Murray, 86.3
OG Denver Kirkland, 79.7
OG Kelechi Osemele, 79.6
WR Amari Cooper, 76.9
C Rodney Hudson, 76.3
Offensive line makes big statement with dominant performance
The Raiders opted to use an extra offensive lineman for much of the game to help in both the run game and pass protection, with Denver Kirkland playing 42 of Oakland’s 85 offensive snaps. The strategy worked to near perfection, as Kirkland had an 84.6 run-blocking grade, and RB Latavius Murray averaged 5.7 yards per carry on 20 touches (forcing five missed tackles). Donald Penn did not make the overall top five for Oakland (in terms of overall grade) because of struggles in pass protection, but his 89.5 run-blocking grade was the best of the game for either team.
Top defensive grades:
ED Khalil Mack, 98.3
ED Bruce Irvin, 86.6
DI Darius Latham, 82.9
S Reggie Nelson, 82.7
S Karl Joseph, 77.8
Mack virtually unstoppable off the edge
Khalil Mack pressured Denver QB Trevor Siemian once every 3.7 pass-rushes, posting a total of two sacks and eight hurries. The Raiders also got the supplemental pass-rush they’ve been missing for much of the season, as Bruce Irvin put up six hurries of his own. Rookie DT Darius Latham rounded out the pass-rushing attack by posting three hurries; he also scored three run stops.
Quarterback grade: Trevor Siemian, 52.3
Heavy pass-rush greatly affects Trevor Siemian
Trevor Sieman was under pressure more often than not, as the rush affected him on 21 of 39 dropbacks. When he had a clean pocket, Siemian had a QB rating of 110.6, but under pressure it plummeted to 53.4, as he completed just seven of 19 balls with an interception and two sacks taken. He also struggled on throws to the middle of the field, as he completed just 50 percent of his throws between the numbers (none of them were deep shots).
Top offensive grades:
OG Max Garcia, 77.1
C Matt Paradis, 73.6
WR Emmanuel Sanders, 71.4
WR Jordan Norwood, 71.3
WR Demaryius Thomas, 70.9
Poor tackle, QB play doom the Broncos
With the monster grades posted by Mack and Irvin, it should be no surprise to learn that LT Russell Okung’s overall grade was 34.6 and RT Donald Stephenson posted a 19.8. Stephenson gave up two sacks and eight total pressures, while Okung was responsible for six hurries. Denver’s run-blocking wasn’t much better, as RBs Devontae Booker and Kapri Bibbs earned 23 of their combined 33 yards (on 12 carries) after contact.
Top defensive grades:
DI Derek Wolfe, 80.8
ED Von Miller, 80.7
LB Brandon Marshall, 80.0
ED DeMarcus Ware, 75.8
S Darian Stewart, 75.1
Already-depleted defense suffers more losses
You know it was a bad night for the Broncos when two of their top-graded players were knocked out early to injury. Derek Wolfe posted three hurries and two stops before exiting with an elbow injury, and Brandon Marshall had two stops and a pass breakup before hurting his hamstring. DE Jared Crick had one of the worst games of his career (31.8 overall grade), as he was repeatedly overpowered and pancaked by Oakland’s formidable run blockers
PFF Game-Ball Winner: Khalil Mack, ED, Raiders
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