This was a surprisingly competitive game after a shaky start by Denver against the winless Raiders in Oakland. However, once the Broncos regained the lead late in the second quarter, they never relinquished it, pulling away with two scores in the final three minutes of the first half and three more touchdowns in the third quarter.
Oakland just couldn’t keep up with the explosive Denver offense, turning it over several times and failing to take full advantage of Denver’s two turnovers. Conversely, the Broncos turned around and scored a touchdown after each of their three takeaways.
Denver Broncos – Performances of Note
Von Miller, LB: +8.4
Breakdown: This was a dominant performance by Miller, who repeatedly got into the backfield using a devastating inside spin move. He finished the game with six hurries and a hit to go along with a solid three stops in run defense.
Signature Play: 3Q, 6:01. Made a similar play later in the third quarter at 1:01, but on this one, left guard Khalif Barnes had no answer for the spin as Miller quickly and easily reached Derek Carr for the sack, though it ended up being nullified.
CJ Anderson, RB: +1.6
Breakdown: Logging his highest snap count of the season, Anderson gained 90 yards on 13 carries for a solid day rushing, though he let the blocking do much of the work with only 33 yards coming after contact. Also had a good day in the passing game with four receptions, including a spectacular 51-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Signature Play: 2Q, 3:00. Made the Oakland defense look foolish as he broke three tackles in the first 10 yards, taking a ball thrown behind the line of scrimmage 51 yards for the score to give Denver the lead. Made several great cuts on the play while taking advantage of some loafing by linebacker Sio Moore.
Brandon Marshall, LB: +3.6
Breakdown: His second game above +3.0 in the last three, Marshall was all over the field collecting 12 tackles and eight stops. In coverage, he allowed eight of nine passes to be completed, but the longest gain went for just 7 yards and he made several stops short of the sticks on third down.
Signature Play: 2Q, 0:22. Got his hand on the ball to deny Darren McFadden the catch late in the first half.
Oakland Raiders – Performances of Note
Charles Woodson, S: -5.9
Breakdown: After a great start in the first eight weeks, Woodson’s dropped off in the last two with the primary reason being a decline in tackling, as he’s missed six in the last two games after missing just five tackles in the first half of the season. He had four MTs yesterday, including one on CJ Anderson’s long touchdown reception in the second quarter.
Signature Play: 3Q, 12:50. Didn’t have much of a chance preventing Julius Thomas from reaching the end zone, but didn’t put up much of a fight as he was run over at the goal line.
DJ Hayden, CB: +1.2
Breakdown: A very active game for Hayden, as he bounced back from a two-penalty display last week, picking up an early interception. Ended up surrendering a touchdown (2Q, 0:35) and a pair of first downs, but made up for it getting his hands on two more passes to deny completions later in the game.
Signature Play: 3Q, 3:50. Maintained close coverage on Demaryius Thomas in the end zone, but wasn’t able to haul in the interception.
Stefen Wisniewski, C: -3.9
Breakdown: This was a rough game for the entire Oakland offensive line, but Wisniewski particularly struggled, allowing two hits and two hurries with a quiet day run blocking as well.
Signature Play: 3Q, 11:59. Completely whiffed on Marvin Austin at the line on what was perhaps his worst blocking effort on the day. However it didn’t amount to much, as Carr got rid of the ball immediately at the back of his drop.
PFF Game Ball
Von Miller gets this one for his unstoppable spin move helping shut down the Oakland offense.
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