Offense — F
The first-half drives while the Broncos fell behind 17-0: Punt, punt, punt, punt, punt and missed field goal. What a lousy way to start a division road game and it produced a deficit that was too much to overcome. The closest the Broncos got was 17-7. This is an offense that fails to create any first-half momentum. They might post a first down or two, but thatap about it. The Broncos didn’t run a play inside the Raiders’ 40-yard line until late in the third quarter. had six catches for 65 yards. crossed the 1,000-yard mark and had to work for every yard (10 carries, 46 yards). threw two late interceptions.
Defense — D
Only one sack against a Raiders team that allowed 48 entering the game. And no takeaways to help with any kind of comeback. Oakland led 17-0 at halftime thanks in part to a 24-yard touchdown run by , who wasn’t touched as he ran around the right side. Trailing 17-7, the Broncos needed a stop to make the game interesting. Instead, they allowed Oakland to drive 72 yards on 12 plays to extend the lead back to 17 points. WR Jordy Nelson worked over rookie cornerback Isaac Yiadom for a good portion of his seven catches for 75 yards. and were held without a sack.
Special Teams — F
A lack of basic rules awareness cost the Broncos early in the game when Yiadom failed to completely secure a downed punt, allowing to pick it up and score on a 99-yard return. Later in the first half, was unable to catch a punt near midfield that proceeded to roll 17 yards. missed a 58-yard field goal as the first half expired that was actually a good kick (on-line and just short). Colby Wadman had three touchbacks in six punts, resulting in a woeful 23.3-yard average.
Coaching — F
Two weeks ago at San Francisco, the Broncos fell behind 20-0 in the first half. Monday, the Raiders raced to a 17-0 lead. Why weren’t the Broncos ready to play? Why is the offense impotent in the first half? Why were penalties like 12 men on the field (defense) and delay of game (offense) an issue? Another bad night for coach .
“I never quarrel with a man who buys ink by the barrel,” former Indiana Rep. Charles Brownson said of the press. But we need your help to keep up with the rising cost of ink.
.
