Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders: Complete Report Card Grades for Denver
The Denver Broncos improved to 7-2 on the season with a 41-17 victory over Oakland (0-9) on Sunday.
The Broncos trailed 10-6 at one point before rattling off 35 straight points to blow the game open. Denver had 249 more yards of offense than Oakland, and they forced three turnovers en route to a big win.
The Broncos will now travel to St. Louis in Week 11 to face the Rams, their fourth and final NFC West opponent this season.
"“It didn't go real well early, but we stuck together. There was no panic!” LOCKER ROOM: http://t.co/EV0zOzI1eg pic.twitter.com/Cq5jftlM06
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 10, 2014"
Read on for more on this game, including grades for each positional unit for the Broncos.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Peyton Manning seemed to be feeling a bit of a hangover from the New England game in the early going of this one, making some uncharacteristic mistakes by throwing two first-half interceptions.
Manning settled down, however, and proceeded to pick apart the Oakland defense.
After completing a pass to C.J. Anderson for a 51-yard touchdown, momentum completely shifted in favor of the Broncos. Manning would then hit Emmanuel Sanders for a 32-yard touchdown just before halftime.
Manning finished the game with 340 yards passing and five touchdowns. Even more impressive was the fact that he did that in just three quarters, as Denver chose to sit him in the final frame.
Brock Osweiler came into the game and put the ball in the air five times, completing two passes for 13 yards.
"Peyton Manning has posted his 91st career game w/3+TD passes, extending his NFL record. Favre is 2nd w/72 and Marino is 3rd w/62.
— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) November 9, 2014"
Save for the two early interceptions, it was a dominant day for the Denver passing game.
Grade: A-
Running Back
2 of 10
Ronnie Hillman has been very effective since the injury to Montee Ball, but on Sunday, it was the C.J. Anderson show.
While Hillman ran for just 13 yards, Anderson rushed the ball with a purpose, pounding it at the Oakland defense for 90 yards. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry.
But Anderson's best play of the game came in the receiving department. With Peyton Manning facing a little pressure, Oakland forced him to check it down to Anderson. The second-year man snared it with one hand and then raced 51 yards for a score.
Anderson showed the ability to tightrope the sideline and reverse field to score on the play. He finished with four receptions for 73 yards. It was easily the best game of his career to this point.
Denver finished with 118 yards on the ground, and the running backs contributed 82 yards receiving.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver/Tight End
3 of 10
If Peyton Manning threw five touchdown passes, the wide receivers and tight ends probably played pretty well, right?
They did.
Demaryius Thomas led the way with 11 receptions for 108 yards. He posted 100 yards or more receiving for the sixth game in a row, a franchise record. Yet he was unable to find the end zone.
Emmanuel Sanders and Julius Thomas had two touchdown catches, while the other one went to C.J. Anderson. Julius now has 12 touchdown catches on the year.
"#Broncos Julius Thomas is the first TE in NFL history with back-to-back 12-touchdown seasons. Also leading NFL with 12 TD catches.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) November 10, 2014"
Wes Welker chipped in with four catches for 24 yards, and rookie Cody Latimer even got in on the act, catching his first pass of the season.
There are some very good receiving corps in the NFL, but Denver's is as talented as any.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Oakland was able to apply some pressure on Peyton Manning early in the game, and though they did get three hits on Manning, they didn't get a single sack.
The line was able to open up some big holes in the running game, specifically for C.J. Anderson.
There were seven penalties called against the offensive line, and that needs to be cleaned up. Orlando Franklin and Louis Vasquez were each flagged twice for false starts, and Will Montgomery was penalized two times as well.
Paul Cornick missed the game with a shoulder injury, and his days as the starting right tackle may have gone up in smoke as well.
Oakland was able to bat down five balls at the line of scrimmage, one of which landed right in the hands of Justin Tuck for an interception. That's an area Denver will need to look at, as it really stalled some early drives.
Grade: B-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Broncos were unable to register any sacks against Oakland, which is somewhat disappointing considering Derek Carr dropped back to throw the ball 47 times.
The Broncos did get pressure, however, forcing Carr into several bad throws. They also got three hits on him, including a big one by Terrance Knighton.
They also did a good job slowing down the running game, though Denver's offense piling up points rendered it nearly irrelevant.
The Raiders were able to gain just 30 yards on 15 carries. Their longest run of the day went for just six yards.
DeMarcus Ware had two tackles, both of which went for a loss of yardage. He was also called for roughing the passer on a play in which Carr threw a touchdown pass.
Grade: B
Linebackers
6 of 10
Brandon Marshall is all over the place. There are few defensive plays that he's not involved in.
Marshall led the Broncos with 13 tackles on Sunday, six more than any other player. He had one tackle for a loss and added one pass defensed.
Von Miller had another solid game with seven tackles and a hit on the quarterback, and Steven Johnson, filling in for Nate Irving, registered two tackles.
Oakland tight end Mychal Rivera was able to find some soft spots in the Denver defense, and he led the team with six catches for 64 yards. He added a touchdown late in the game.
Still, you'd have to give these linebackers a passing grade, considering two of their starters, Danny Trevathan and Irving, didn't play.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
The secondary for the Denver Broncos played very well in this game. They only allowed 192 passing yards despite Derek Carr throwing the ball 47 times. Most of that came in garbage time, when Denver wasn't pressing nearly as much.
It was very encouraging to see T.J. Ward record his first interception of the season. He was also second on the team with seven tackles, and he had a hit on the quarterback.
Chris Harris played another good game at cornerback, racking up four tackles and one pass defensed. He also had a fumble recovery on a play in which Carr threw the ball to an offensive lineman. It would have been a penalty anyway, but the ball was poked loose and Harris jumped on it.
The Broncos converted the turnover into a touchdown, which gave them a 27-10 lead.
Denver blanketed Oakland wide receivers in this game, allowing Carr to throw for just 80 yards to his wideouts. No wide receiver had more than 28 yards receiving for Oakland.
It was a nice rebound performance by a group that got beat up in New England.
Grade: A
Special Teams
8 of 10
It was nice to see Brandon McManus kicking the ball well on Sunday. His kicks were all short, but he made two field goals and scored 11 points in the game.
The Broncos still don't seem to have much confidence in him from long range, as they opted against a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter when facing a 4th-and-1 situation.
Granted, they threw for a touchdown on the play, but that's a situation where they almost certainly would have brought Matt Prater out in the past.
McManus needs to show he can make the longer kicks in practice so Denver can take advantage of him kicking in the thin air at home.
Britton Colquitt continues to be one of the better punters in the NFL. He had five punts on Sunday with a long of 65 yards. On one punt late in the game, Omar Bolden ran down and made a spectacular play, catching the ball off of one hop and downing it at the Oakland 3-yard line.
Isaiah Burse averaged 13 yards on his four punt returns, and he made some nice cuts en route to a 21-yard return in the game.
Why don't the Broncos use him as a kick returner as well?
Grade: A-
Coaching
9 of 10
The Broncos didn't necessarily out-coach the Raiders in this game, they just have far better talent.
Denver came out very flat, looking like they were still experiencing a hangover from the loss in New England. With just minutes left in the first half, they trailed Oakland 10-6. There's no excuse for that.
The offense was too predicated on the pass in the first half. Peyton Manning had 32 pass attempts before halftime. They finished the game with 49 pass plays and 27 run plays.
Still, they should focus on establishing the running game earlier so that Manning doesn't have to feel like he has to win every game. That's how a team like New England will beat you.
Defensively, Jack Del Rio called a good gamel but the Raiders were so limited on offense once they got behind.
Giving Brock Osweiler the entire fourth quarter was the right move as well. Denver has seemed hesitant to do this in the past, but Manning doesn't need to be in when the team is ahead by five scores late in the game.
Grade: C
Overall Grade
10 of 10
Quarterback: A-
Running Back: B+
Wide Receiver/Tight End: A
Offensive Line: B-
Defensive Line: B
Linebackers: B
Secondary: A
Special Teams: A-
Coaching: C
Overall Grade: B+
It was a convincing road victory for the Broncos, winning a game they were supposed to win. It was a little concerning to see the Broncos struggling early, giving off the sense that they may have overlooked the Raiders.
But when you have Peyton Manning getting the time to find his weapons like he did today, the Broncos are very hard to beat.
The offensive line is still a work in progress, as the Broncos are looking to find their best five-man combination, but it seems like they're getting closer.
On defense, the secondary continues to be a strength for the team, but they'll need to be ready for the league's more dynamic passing offenses, such as the one that hurt them in New England.
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