Broncos vs. Raiders: Denver Grades, Notes and Quotes
The Denver Broncos moved to 5-0 on the season with Sunday's 16-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders. As has been the case this year, most of the credit for that victory should go to the defense.
Chris Harris was the player to make the biggest play of the game this time, intercepting a pass from Derek Carr and taking it back 74 yards for a touchdown. It was Denver's only touchdown of the game.
The Broncos will now have at least a two-game lead in the AFC West, depending on what happens with the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. If San Diego loses, that lead will go to three games.
The Broncos looked very average on defense again, but the effort put forth by coordinator Wade Phillips and his unit allowed the team to stay undefeated.
The Broncos will go on the road to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. But first, let's take a closer look at this game and hand out grades to each positional unit.
Positional Grades
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Position Grade
| QB | D |
| RB | C- |
| WR | B+ |
| TE | C- |
| OL | C- |
| DL | B+ |
| LB | A |
| DB | A- |
| Special Teams | A+ |
| Coaching | B |
Quarterback: The Broncos continue to win despite the lackluster play of Peyton Manning. Did you think you would ever read that sentence? Manning threw two interceptions Sunday—both to Charles Woodson—and he now has more interceptions on the season than touchdown passes.
On top of that, many of Manning's balls fluttered through the air, which will likely lead to more questions about his arm strength.
Running Back: Denver was never able to get the running game going, but that may be because the Raiders didn't seem to concerned with them throwing the ball. There was very little room for C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman to run in, and the pair gained a total of 43 yards on 18 carries.
Wide Receiver: Emmanuel Sanders turned in a very nice game, catching nine passes for 111 yards. Demaryius Thomas added five catches for 55 yards and second-year player Bennie Fowler had a 41-yard reception as he continues to progress into a viable option for the team.
Tight End: Denver did not complete a pass to a tight end in this game. Manning did target Owen Daniels five times, but couldn't get the ball into his hands.
Offensive Line: The offensive line didn't open up any holes in the running game, but the group did do a good job of protecting Manning. The Raiders were able to come up with just two sacks. Michael Schofield filled in again with Ty Sambrailo inactive. Schofield struggled at times and was called for a holding penalty.
Reserve lineman Tyler Polumbus was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty which put the Broncos in a 2nd-and-22 situation instead of 2nd-and-7.
Defensive Line: Malik Jackson had six tackles and a sack in this game, and Derek Wolfe made a strong return to the field, collecting five tackles himself.
Linebackers: Denver's linebackers continue to play a key role for the team. With DeMarcus Ware out of the game with a back injury, the team's other big pass-rusher, Von Miller, took matters into his own hands and came up with a sack of Carr. In the process, he was able to take the ball right out of his hands. Denver converted the turnover into a field goal.
Danny Trevathan had 10 tackles, and Brandon Marshall added eight more. Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett each had a sack as well.
Defensive Backs: The Denver secondary put together another good day and carried the team to victory. Though Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree each made plays in the passing game, they weren't able to do any damage on the scoreboard.
Kayvon Webster made a nice play to break up a pass, and T.J. Ward made seven tackles. The play made by Harris came at a time when the Broncos desperately needed it. Clinging to a 9-7 lead, the Broncos were watching the Raiders move the ball downfield, and they were already in field-goal range.
Special Teams: Brandon McManus is putting together an excellent season for the Broncos. In fact, an argument could be made that he's been the NFL's best kicker so far this season.
McManus kicked field goals of 25, 20 and 52 yards in the game. The Broncos were also able to block a field-goal attempt by Sebastian Janikowski. Replays showed that Sylvester Williams was able to get a hand on the ball.
Important Note No. 1: DeMarcus Ware Leaves Game with Back Injury
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DeMarcus Ware has been one of the most important players on the team this season, so it had to be a tense moment when he left Sunday's game with a back injury, per Around the NFL.
Ware had three tackles in the game before the injury occurred. Cameras showed Ware leaving the field on a cart. Pro Football Talk later tweeted out that the injury isn't believed to be serious, noting it was either a strain or spasms.
That's great news for Denver, as the prospect of losing Ware for any length of time would be a tremendous blow to the defense.
Important Note No. 2: Broncos Win Eighth Straight over Raiders
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The rivalry between the Broncos and Raiders is still one of the best the NFL has to offer. However, it has been tremendously one-sided for the last several years.
The Broncos earned their eighth victory in a row over the Raiders Sunday. They've won those games by a combined score of 276-119. The last time Oakland defeated Denver was back in September 2011, when the Raiders opened the season with a 23-20 victory over the Broncos.
The dominance Denver has exhibited over its divisional rival is just one of the reasons why the team has won the AFC West each of the last four seasons.
The two teams will meet again on December 13 in Denver.
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Important Note No. 3: Peyton Manning Sets All-Time Passing Mark
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Though it came with little fanfare, Manning eclipsed another NFL record in this game, according to a tweet from Broncos vice president of public relations Patrick Smyth.
Combining regular-season and playoff passing yardage, no quarterback has ever thrown for more yards than the 77,707 Manning has amassed.
Though many fans will likely shrug this accolade off, it does deserve recognition. The television broadcast only flashed a quick graphic on the screen.
Manning is less than 1,000 yards behind the all-time regular-season passing yardage record held by Brett Favre. When Manning surpasses that mark, it will be a much bigger deal.
Quote No. 1: Chris Harris Discusses the Win
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Perhaps the most impressive record the Broncos currently own is the fact that the team has won 14 consecutive divisional road games. That seems almost impossible in today's NFL, but the Broncos have accomplished the feat.
The biggest reason for the win Sunday was the play that Harris made, taking an interception of Derek Carr 74 yards for a touchdown. That gave the Broncos a 16-7 advantage, one that was enough to get the win.
Harris told Troy Renck of the Denver Post, "We treat these division games like championship games. That's why we win them all. We know how much they mean, trust me."
The Broncos have now won against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Raiders on the road this year, giving the team a huge advantage in the race for the division title.
Quote No. 2: Gary Kubiak Discusses Offensive Woes
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During his press conference after the game, per ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold, Denver head coach Gary Kubiak talked about the defense making plays that allowed the Broncos to pick up the win. He was also asked about the issues that still exist on the offensive side of the ball, telling reporters:
"We've got to play a hell of a lot better. It starts with me, the offensive coaches, we've got to get better offensively. The sad thing is we do some good stuff, and we don't finish anything -- that's what's disappointing. And everything keeps going back to [No.] 18, [and] that's not fair. We've got to get better running the football. We've got to get better protecting him. If we do those things, we'll play better offensively. We're very, very fortunate right now. We're playing very hard, [but] just not very good [on offense].
"
Kubiak seems to recognize that the Broncos have won some games that they may not have deserved to win. He's been around the league long enough to know that when the weather changes and teams like the New England Patriots are on the other side of the field, a running game that can't produce and an offensive line that doesn't get the job done will be a losing formula.
Quote No. 3: Peyton Manning Discusses the Win
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Manning addressed the media following the game, per NFL.com, and after joking about the two interceptions he threw to Charles Woodson, Manning talked about the victory over Oakland:
"It's a good team win. We want to play better offensively, we want to do our job and somehow, someway it's about helping the Denver Broncos get a win. Ya know, there's no question, offensively, we certainly want to play better. We're gonna stay committed to it. Everybody wants to try do a better job and that certainly starts with me. I want to do a better job playing quarterback and help our team get to the end zone more.
"
It seems shocking to hear Manning say this, particularly since he threw an NFL-record 55 touchdown passes just two seasons ago. Getting the offense fixed will be a big chore for Kubiak and his staff, but the team really needs to devise a way to sustain drives and score more points.
Following the game at Cleveland next week, the Broncos will have a much-needed bye week where they will have some extra time to work out the offensive kinks.
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