Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos: Full Report Card Grades for Denver
The Denver Broncos (12-4) finished the regular season with a very impressive victory over the Oakland Raiders (3-13) in Week 17.
In the process, the Broncos clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs and won't have to play again until the divisional round. That could be a huge advantage for a team looking to get healthy at several key positions.
The Broncos had 451 yards of total offense in the game while holding the Raiders to just 199 yards.
Peyton Manning and his offense were good, but the defense was the real story of the game. They were just too much for the rookie Derek Carr, forcing multiple three-and-outs.
The Broncos will host a playoff game in the divisional round for the third year in a row, and they will await the identity of their opponent pending the outcome of next weekend's Wild Card Games.
Read on for more on this game, including complete report card grades for each positional unit.
Quarterback
1 of 10
For just the second time in his tenure with the Broncos, Peyton Manning was held without a touchdown pass. He was still able to make some tough throws and be effective in this game.
Manning completed 21 of 37 passes for 273 yards in the game. However, he did make a few throws that were well off target.
Manning utilized play-action much more often than he has this season, and he often found the open receiver down the field. His decision-making was good in this game, and he didn't do anything to hurt the team.
But there was a touchdown pass thrown by the Broncos in this game, and it was thrown by Brock Osweiler.
The backup quarterback was able to get into the game late in the fourth quarter, completing both of his passes for 39 yards and a touchdown. Both completions went to tight end Virgil Green.
Osweiler truly enjoyed the moment, and it brought a big smile to the face of Manning to watch Osweiler throw the first touchdown pass of his career.
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 10
There aren't many running backs in the entire league that have performed better than C.J. Anderson over the second half of the season.
Anderson shone again on Sunday.
Getting just 13 carries, Anderson racked up 87 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry. He finishes the regular season with 849 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.
He added 20 yards on two receptions in the passing game.
The Broncos also got Ronnie Hillman back for this game after a six-game hiatus due to a foot injury.
Hillman seemed a bit rusty, getting just 56 yards on 15 carries. He also had one catch for two yards.
"Ronnie Hillman saw his shadow and fell down. . . six more weeks of winter folks. . .
— Gil Whiteley (@Gilfest) December 29, 2014"
The Broncos made Juwan Thompson inactive for this game, but they may want to consider using all three running backs in the playoffs.
Grade: B-
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 10
Demaryius Thomas capped off an excellent regular season by catching another eight passes for 115 yards. The 1,619 yards he had on the season are an all-time team record.
He did have to come out of the game at one point to get his lower leg looked at, but it didn't appear to be a big concern.
As good as Demaryius has been, Julius Thomas has just disappeared from the offense and is almost a non-factor at this point.
Virgil Green was the tight end who made an impact in this game, catching three passes for 46 yards. He caught a 38-yard pass from Brock Osweiler where he went up with two hands and brought the pass down.
Moments later, Green had his first career touchdown reception.
Emmanuel Sanders put together another good game, catching six passes for 73 yards, and he could make a difference in the playoffs.
He had over 100 receptions on the year, giving the Broncos two receivers with 100 or more catches in a season for the first time since Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey did it in 2000.
"Today, Broncos WRs @DemaryiusT & @ESanders_10 have joined @TheREALrodSmith & @87ed (2000) as the only 100-catch duos in club history.
— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) December 28, 2014"
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Denver's offensive line played a good game against Oakland, despite having to do it without Orlando Franklin for a good chunk of the day.
Franklin left the game with a concussion and did not return. Ben Garland stepped in to play guard in his place.
"Orlando Franklin OUT for the game (concussion). The injury list gets longer. #OAKvsDEN
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 28, 2014"
The line protected Peyton Manning well and gave him a nice pocket to throw out of most of the game. Manning was sacked just once, and on that play, Justin Tuck had to trip him up to get him down.
In the running game, the line provided good holes to run through, and C.J. Anderson was able to find them. Ronnie Hillman seemed a little more indecisive.
On Anderson's first touchdown run, the line opened up an excellent hole for him to run through, leading to an easy score to put Denver up 10-0.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The player who stuck out along the defensive line for Denver in this game was clearly Malik Jackson. He is slowly becoming a strong force on this defense.
Jackson had one tackle for a loss, one hit on the quarterback and two passes defensed in this game. He was regularly after Derek Carr on passing downs.
The defensive line also helped hold the Raiders to a modest day on the ground. Oakland gained just 67 yards on 18 attempts.
"Malik Jackson was blindsided on block earlier in game. Been even more active since w pressure and a deflection. He's Michael Bennnett-esque
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) December 28, 2014"
Terrance Knighton had a quiet game, only coming up with one tackle. For the Broncos to be successful in the playoffs, he needs to be a big factor. It would be nice to see more out of Derek Wolfe as well.
Grade: B-
Linebackers
6 of 10
Von Miller came up with his 14th sack of the season on Oakland's opening drive, and that helped set the tone for the rest of the game.
Miller had four tackles in the game, two of which went for a loss of yardage.
And how about Todd Davis? The undrafted rookie out of Sacramento State has played quite well with all of the injuries the Broncos have been dealing with at the position.
Davis led the team with six tackles on Sunday, while also registering two passes defensed.
Steven Johnson made a good tackle against Latavius Murray on 1st-and-goal in the third quarter, showing good play recognition. The Broncos need that kind of play more consistently going forward.
Lerentee McCray even got in on the act, getting a sack on Carr that forced a fumble. Tony Carter picked up the loose ball and ran it in for a touchdown.
Though the game was in hand, it was a fitting way to cap off a great defensive performance.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
Aqib Talib was able to register a sack in this game, and he can thank the coverage the Broncos had down the field for helping him do so.
The Broncos were able to get 12 passes defensed in this game, causing frustration for rookie quarterback Derek Carr, who was able to complete just 50 percent of his throws for only 158 yards.
Carr completed just six passes to the wide receiver position, and the Broncos even kept the tight end in check, allowing Mychal Rivera to catch only two passes for 26 yards.
Late in the game, reserve safety Josh Bush was able to get an interception off of Carr.
There was a tense moment in the game, however, as David Bruton was taken out by a block from behind during punt coverage, and he was down on the ground for several minutes.
Bruton, who was forced into the starting lineup when T.J. Ward was made inactive, ended up being carted off the field.
"Broncos S David Bruton (concussion) has been released from the hospital. All additional testing came back normal.
— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) December 29, 2014"
Bruton played well in Ward's absence, and he came very close to having an interception in the game.
Hopefully, Denver gets him back in time for its first playoff game.
Grade: A
Special Teams
8 of 10
Have the Broncos finally found something in the kick return game?
For the second game in a row, Omar Bolden broke out a big kickoff return. He brought the opening kick of the second half back 76 yards. Two plays later, C.J. Anderson scored on a 25-yard run.
A strong kickoff return man is an element Denver has been missing the entire season. It appears Bolden is a guy who could give them a spark in the playoffs.
Wes Welker was even able to get something going as a punt returner. He averaged 7.4 yards per return and had a long of 19 yards in the game.
"Broncos return game has improved considerably since Omar Bolden replaced Bubba Caldwell; Wes Welker replaced Isaiah Burse.
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) December 28, 2014"
Connor Barth continues to be a reliable kicker since joining the team. He kicked another four field goals on Sunday and scored 17 points in the game.
The Broncos did a better job covering kicks than they did in their Monday night loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, but even in the thin air of Denver, Brandon McManus had five of his kickoffs returned.
If he doesn't kick every kickoff out of the end zone, why is the team using a precious roster spot on him?
Britton Colquitt punted three times in the game, averaging 46.3 yards per kick with a long of 56 yards.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
Denver came into this game with a good plan of attack against the hapless Raiders.
Offensively, Adam Gase called several plays in which the Broncos could attack Oakland cornerback Keith McGill. They were largely successful in doing so.
Still, some of the play-calling was questionable.
With a 30-14 lead and facing 4th-and-1 from the Oakland 4-yard line, Denver converted with a run to Ronnie Hillman. In fact, John Fox successfully won a challenge on the play after it was originally ruled short of the line to gain.
They then promptly called three pass plays from the 3-yard line, all of which were incomplete.
Denver settles for too many field goals, and this is part of the reason why. If the running game has been working, why go away from it?
Settling for field goals in the playoffs will get you beat.
Grade: B-
Overall Grade
10 of 10
Quarterback: B
Running Back: B-
Wide Receiver/Tight End: A
Offensive Line: B+
Defensive Line: B-
Linebacker: A
Secondary: A
Special Teams: B
Coaching: B-
Overall Grade: A-
The Broncos may have been playing a team with just three wins on the season, but they put together the type of performance that they needed to.
After losing a game against Cincinnati, the Broncos needed a dominant win against an inferior team to give them some momentum heading into the postseason.
They got it.
Now, the real challenge for the coaching staff will be formulating a plan of attack with the mounting injuries the team is facing.
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