Raiders run past Broncos 30-20 for AFC West lead

On Sunday the Oakland Raiders posted what’s arguably their biggest regular season win since 2002 when they beat the divisional rival Denver Broncos 30-20 at the O.co Coliseum on Sunday Night Football.

Perhaps bigger than the “L” on the schedule was the loss of star defensive lineman Derek Wolfe.

Talib said he was feeling better, but the Broncos might want to keep him out of next weekend’s game at New Orleans, too, so they can take advantage of the bye week and get him ready to return November 27 against Kansas City. Until this point, the Raiders have clearly been an improved running team even if they aren’t often a run-first group. Mack has already posted seven sacks and two forced fumbles this season after posting 15 sacks and two forced fumbles past year.

They ran whenever and however they wanted, rolling up a total of 218 yards on the ground, including 114 plus three TDs from Latavius Murray.

“You’re not going to win in this league if those two issues are going on consistently, ” said Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak.

Yes, the team named Trevor Siemian as a captain last week. Something that Del Rio could never get in Jacksonville, as even in his Jaguars best years, the Indianapolis Colts always were the measuring stick that the team fell woefully short of. But before we flip that page, or whatever metaphor you prefer, let’s take one last look back at Denver’s loss Sunday.

“In the second half, we only ran two (running) plays, we ran the same running play ten times in a row”. Josiah Moore got to meet some of his heroes in person during Sunday night’s game against the Broncos.

“The unknown part, I just leave that over there in that category and we’re not going to wait for that”, Del Rio said. The furry critter showed up initially in the first half, then interrupted play in the third quarter, prancing around an end zone as the hosts were driving. Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco connected with Mike Wallace on a 95-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter – the longest pass in Ravens history. This was their first elite performance and has them now ranked fourth in the league in rushing. Meanwhile, the Raiders went into the game with an attitude that they would run straight down the Broncos’ throats and that worked. “So we have to figure that out and really put an emphasis on that, and get back to doing what we do”. “I don’t know if you ever reach that ideal performance you’re striving for anyway but there are things we need to clean up, that we need to be better at”.

However, that doesn’t mean I believe in Siemian. The punter, Riley Dixon, punted the ball six times for an average of 44 yards. So, I stay focused on that.

In an effort to keep the Raider Nation from reserving Super Bowl tickets, we examine some of the thoughts and opinions that have been discussed after Oakland’s biggest win of the season. After coming off two consecutive 8-8 years, the Raiders took a few steps back, but those steps back helped them get into the position they are in today.

With Las Vegas angling to lure the Raiders away from the Bay Area, a plane towing a sign reading “VEGAS, IF YOU BUILD IT WE WON’T COME” circled the stadium prior to kick off. “But at the end of the day, we’re not down on ourselves”, defensive tackle Sylvester Williams said.