For the first time this season, the Raiders were facing an opponent with a winning record. The 2-1 Broncos came to Las Vegas with the Raiders desperately seeking their first win of the season.
While the Broncos’ offense hasn’t really taken off yet with Russell Wilson at QB, the defense is still as dominant as ever. So, it’s an accomplishment that the Raiders’ offense was able to put up 28 points, even if most of that came on field goals (5).
Ballers
RB Josh Jacobs
He literally carried his team to a win. He scored both of their touchdowns on the ground while putting up a career-high 144 yards rushing and a combined 175 yards from scrimmage on 33 touches.
Time after time in this game, Jacobs saved scoring drives. He had 26 yards on the opening drive, including a nine-yard run on third and two that put them in first down at the Denver 13.
He began the first touchdown drive with a 12-yard catch and run and had 32 yards rushing and the touchdown from ten yards out. And the second TD drive he 24 yards rushing and the TD was from seven yards out, in which he made a cut, broke a tackle and drove through defenders at the goal line.
That second TD put the Raiders up by two scores at 32-23 with just over two minutes remaining. That was too much for the Broncos to overcome.
CB Amik Robertson, CB Nate Hobbs
The two of them started every snap at cornerback in the game. With starters Rock Ya-Sin and Anthony Averett both out injured, there was no choice but to put the secondary in their hands. And they stepped up.
Hobbs is normally a starter, he just lines up in the slot a lot. Robertson is not. But you may not have known it with some of the plays he made in this game.
Hobbs ended the Broncos’ first possession by coming in on the blitz to sack Russell Wilson.
The Broncos’ offense would wake up, going on a TD drive. The second of which ended in a field goal and featured a pass breakup by Hobbs and Robertson fighting through a block to stop a pass out in the flat for no gain.
Then came the big defensive play. Just after the Broncos had converted a fourth-and-one, Melvin Gordon fumbled the ball and the ball popped right into Robertson’s arms. He secured the ball and took it 68 yards for the score. Along the way, he laid a wicked stiff arm on a defender and it was Hobbs who laid the final block to usher Robertson to the end zone.
With the Raiders holding onto a 19-16 lead in the third quarter, Hobbs made the stop on third-and-18 by spinning out of a block to make the stop on a screen.
Hobbs made the final tackle of the day, holding Russell Wilson to five yards on a scramble. Three incompletions later and the Broncos last chance was over.
DE Maxx Crosby
A mainstay on the Ballers list, Crosby doubled his sack total in this game, bringing his season sacks to four. He added a couple of tackles for loss and a pass breakup at the line.
His fits sack ended the Broncos’ first drive of the third quarter. A possession that began with him making a tackle for loss. His second sack came on the Broncos’ next possession, helping lead to a three-and-out. A big play considering the Broncos’ drive started at the 49-yard-line.
His batted pass came with the Broncos at their own one-yard-line, leading to a punt out the back of their own end zone.
WR Mack Hollins
Hollins was in on big play after big play in this game. Every time he showed up on film, it was a big play.
Hollins showed his blocking when he made key blocks on two crucial Jacobs runs — one that went for nine yards on third-and-two and the other that went for a ten-yard touchdown.
And, of course, he showed up on the special teams, with yet another impressive diving play to keep the ball out of the end zone where it was downed at the one. That play would ultimately lead to a score because the Broncos were unable to get out of the shadow of their own end zone and after the punt, the Raiders got possession near midfield.
On the ensuing drive, Hollins had a 16-yard catch that put the Raiders at the 22-yard-line, setting up a field goal for a 25-16 lead in the fourth quarter. He would finish with three catches for 33 yards with two of those catches going for first downs and the other leading to a conversion on third and short.
WR Davante Adams
Welcome back, Davante. Though Carr didn’t throw any deep passes to him, he still managed to catch enough back shoulder passes and comebackers to go over 100 yards (101) on nine catches.
His longest catch was his first one. It went for 20 yards and put the Raiders in scoring range for their opening drive field goal. His next longest catch came on the game-sealing touchdown drive late in the fourth. It went for 17 yards to put the Raiders in Denver territory at the 48-yard-line.
Honorable Mention
TE Darren Waller — Waller had three catches for 24 yards in the game, but did his best work as a blocker. He had a block on a 22-yard Zamir White run and the first Jacobs TD from ten yards out.
Busters
None
No one was perfect in this game, but as far as I could tell, either the mistakes were minimal, or were they were made up for in other areas. Having no Busters doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. Though usually in more dominant games than this one.
