Raiders vs. Broncos: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

The defending Super Bowl champions made one final stand this season, and it came at the expense of their division rivals.

The Denver Broncos handled the shorthanded Oakland Raiders on Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, 24-6. Oakland would have clinched the AFC West and a first-round bye with a victory but was instead overwhelmed without quarterback Derek Carr, who was out with a broken fibula.

Oakland's loss was welcome news for the Kansas City Chiefs, who in turn won the AFC West and the first-round bye that came with it, thanks to their Sunday victory over the San Diego Chargers.

The Raiders never had much of a chance without their quarterback, and things looked even bleaker after they announced backup Matt McGloin suffered a shoulder injury. They turned things over to Connor Cook, who finished 14-of-21 for 150 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Cook also fumbled twice, one of which he lost.

McGloin was 6-of-11 for 21 yards before his exit.

Quarterback Trevor Siemian led the way for Denver with 206 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while running back Justin Forsett added 90 yards on the ground. Devontae Booker notched 57 rushing yards, 52 receiving yards and two total touchdowns.

The Broncos did their offensive work largely without wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who suffered a left foot injury in the first quarter and was out for the rest of the game, per Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post.

Oakland was fighting an uphill battle from the start without Carr and made things even harder with 13 penalties for 125 yards.

Denver seized the initial momentum on the opening possession and rode it to the win. Booker finished the eight-play, 84-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown rush.

The Broncos defense then set the tone and forced punts on all five of Oakland's first-half possessions. Brandon McManus hit a chip-shot field goal to give the home team a 10-0 advantage, and it was clear Denver wasn't backing down against the playoff-bound Raiders:

Wolfe noted Denver was physically imposing its will on McGloin and the Raiders offensive front:

The Broncos offense capitalized on the defense's strong play when Siemian hit Booker for a 43-yard score. The extra point gave them the 17-0 lead they enjoyed at the half.

The NFL shared the touchdown:

As if the start wasn't bad enough for the Raiders, McGloin went into the locker room early with his injury, which left the offense in Cook's hands. They went three-and-out on the Michigan State product's first drive, although he wasn't helped by a Clive Walford drop.

Cook at least had Carr's support:

Oakland moved inside Denver territory to start the second half, but Shane Ray forced a Cook fumble with a sack and gave the Broncos the ball back.

They took advantage with a 10-play, 64-yard touchdown drive that Siemian finished by hitting Virgil Green for the score to essentially put the game away. It was the tight end's first touchdown catch of the season, and it couldn't have come at a worse time for the Raiders.

Oakland finally scored after Cook appeared to settle in some. He found Latavius Murray and Walford on two straight passes and then connected with Amari Cooper for a 32-yard touchdown. The Raiders missed the two-point conversion but were on the scoreboard before the fourth quarter.

The NFL captured the impressive touchdown catch on Twitter:

The visitors kept the momentum on their side when Brynden Trawick intercepted Siemian on the next play from scrimmage, although they didn't take advantage and eventually punted.

Von Miller then made his impact felt on Oakland's next possession when he stripped Johnny Holton and forced another Raiders turnover. Wolfe had high praise for the defensive superstar after the play:

The Broncos missed a field goal after the turnover, but their defense continued to play well and protect the lead. Justin Simmons iced the game by intercepting Cook and returning it 45 yards to the Oakland 43-yard line.

From there, Denver attempted a fake punt and failed, but there were less than four minutes remaining.

The Raiders couldn't put together a miracle comeback and turned the ball over on downs when Cook took another sack on fourth down. Denver worked the clock from there and clinched the victory.

Postgame Reaction

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and NFL.com reported Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak told his team he was retiring after the win.

Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said, "We just wanted to send (Kubiak) out right," per Andrew Mason of the Broncos' official website.

Linebacker Shane Ray said, "Anytime you see your head coach fighting tears you know how much it means to him," per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post.

On the other side, McGloin said "his mind is on being 100 percent for next week," per Jimmy Durkin of the Bay Area News Group.

Raiders pass-rusher Khalil Mack said he was "disappointed in slow start (by defense), especially considering what was at stake," per Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.

What's Next?

The Broncos head into an important offseason where they will attempt to bolster an offense that struggled this season. They failed to even make the playoffs while defending their Super Bowl title largely because of an offense that was 22nd in the league in points per game entering Week 17. 

Next up for the Raiders is their playoff game, which will come on the road against the Houston Texans. Houston is also dealing with quarterback issues after it announced Tom Savage suffered a concussion on Sunday. Brock Osweiler, who struggled throughout the season, would be his replacement in next weekend's game.