Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos: Oakland Grades, Notes and Quotes

In an imperfect game filled with drama, the Oakland Raiders logged a 15-12 victory over the Denver Broncos in their biggest win of the season to this point. 

The Raiders offense started off like a deer in headlights, producing a net minus-12 yards in the first half, per Associated Press writer Josh Dubow. Inaccurate throws, unimaginative play-calling and a ferocious Broncos’ pass rush contributed to Oakland’s offensive futility in the first 30 minutes.

Fortunately for Oakland, Denver settled for four field goals to keep the glass half-full for Raiders fans.

Defensive lineman Khalil Mack walked off the field as a human at halftime and returned as a rabid beast for the second half, recording five sacks and forcing a fumble that led to a safety. 

In addition to facing Mack’s spectacular play, the Broncos went from settling for field goals to completely giving away opportunities. Broncos wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders (on a punt return) fumbled in their own territory. 

The Raiders capitalized on Sanders' muffed punt with the final scoring drive of the game—a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mychal Rivera.

The defense, led by Mack, shut out the Broncos in the second half en route to a 15-12 victory on the road.

We’ll delve into the record books and the locker room for details on this drama-filled contest.

Position Grades for Raiders

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Quarterback: B

In the first half, quarterback Derek Carr didn’t throw the most accurate passes and seemed skittish with a top-tier defense bearing down on him. However, he maintained his poise and delivered some pinpoint throws in the second half to propel the team to victory.

Running Backs: F

Center Rodney Hudson’s return didn’t help any of the running backs. Fullback Jamize Olawale didn’t register a carry. Latavius Murray looked slow and indecisive on his runs throughout the contest.

Wide Receivers: C-

Seth Roberts provided the only significant contribution among the wideouts, scoring the first touchdown in the contest. Rookie Amari Cooper failed to record a catch for the first time in his NFL career.

Tight Ends: A

The tight ends provided the bulk of the receiving production. Rookie Clive Walford caught three passes for 47 yards, and Rivera scored the final touchdown. Lee Smith provided extra pass protection on the offensive line after Carr ran for his life in the first half.

Offensive Line: C

Oakland’s passing attack struggled throughout with the quarterback under siege. The Broncos pass rush crushed the Raiders offensive line in the first half, sacking Carr twice with constant pressure on the edges. The protection improved in the second half, but running lanes remained tight.

Defensive Line: A

The Broncos came into this contest literally running over opponents, averaging 161 rushing yards per contest in the last three games. The Raiders defensive line converged on Broncos’ speedy running back Ronnie Hillman and batted several passes down at the line of scrimmage.

Linebackers: A

Mack started the game at outside linebacker and put together one of the best performances in Raiders history, which earned a spot in the record books. Curtis Lofton and Malcolm Smith combined for 18 tackles on the day, limiting yards after the catch in short-passing situations. Rookie Ben Heeney forced a fumble.

Secondary: B-

Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler started the game on fire, completing 22 passes in the first half, which tied with San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers for the most completions in a first half this season, per ESPN Stats and Info’s Twitter handle. 

However, the defensive backs tightened up in the red zone, holding Denver without a touchdown. Safety Charles Woodson also recovered the fumble forced by Heeney.

Special Teams: B-

Kicker Sebastian Janikowski missed a 43-yard field-goal attempt. His misfires have become a pattern in consecutive weeks. Long snapper Jon Condo put the Raiders in perfect position to score after recovering Sanders’ muffed punt-return catch in the fourth quarter. 

Coaching: B

Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave didn’t show much imagination in his play-calling, but he more than made up for it in the second half. The Raiders converted two red-zone trips into touchdowns. In both situations, the receivers ran crisp routes toward the end zone.

Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.’s defense allowed the Broncos to march up and down the field. However, the red-zone defense didn’t allow a touchdown in three attempts. Norton also devised a solid game plan to shut down the run. 

Head coach Jack Del Rio opted to go for a two-point conversion instead of an extra point after Condo injured his shoulder on a fumble recovery, which justified his decision to go for two.

Khalil Mack Records 5 Sacks

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Mack deserves five game balls for all five sacks on the day. He also stripped Osweiler in the end zone, which resulted in a safety and an extra possession. 

According to Dubow, Mack’s five sacks tied Hall of Famer Howie Long for the most sacks in a single game in franchise history. 

It’s more impressive that he logged all of his sacks in the second half. Mack became the "Tasmanian devil" devouring the Broncos' makeshift offensive line over the last 30 minutes. Denver didn’t have an answer for him, and its passing attack wilted.

Mack registered the first five-sack game since his teammate, linebacker Aldon Smith, logged 5.5 sacks in 2012 with the San Francisco 49ers, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Amari Cooper Held Without a Catch

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The Raiders' rookie sensation failed to record a catch for the first time this season. Broncos cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. stifled Cooper with physicality.

Talib made a concerted effort to outmuscle the young wideout and went a little too far when putting his forearm around Cooper’s face and neck area.

The referees missed the call, but otherwise the Broncos' veteran cornerbacks completely shut down the rookie.

A few passes hit Cooper’s hands, but he failed to reel in any catches.

Raiders Reach 5-0 When Committing 10-Plus Penalties

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The Raiders see the yellow flags and they ante up. Oakland now moves to 5-0 when committing 10 or more penalties, per Dubow.

It’s possible the Raiders play loosely with instinct as opposed to thinking, which sometimes draws penalties but enables solid play.

Clearly the Raiders don’t allow officials to decide their football games. 

Oakland won a sloppy contest that normally would have ended up in the loss column. Although, it’s important for the offensive line to clean up false start issues on the road.

Mario Edwards Jr. on Khalil Mack

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Rookie defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. best described Mack’s performance as something unlike anything parallel to reality. He compared it to the popular Madden football game, per San Jose Mercury reporter Jimmy Durkin.

“That’s something you do on Madden. It’s unreal. Khalil came to play today,” said Edwards in reference to Mack’s five sacks.

For those still logging hours on your video game system of choice, choosing the Raiders could result in 10 sacks using Mack—if he’s able to register five against real-life talent.

The Raiders' star defensive lineman leads the league with 14 sacks on the season. Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt ranks second with 13.5.

Follow Maurice Moton on Twitter for news, updates and intriguing discussion about the Oakland Raiders. All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, Pro Football Focus and Team Rankings, unless otherwise noted. 

Raiders Week 14 play-by-play provided by NFL.com.