Broncos Surge Past Raiders 41-17 in the Black Hole

The Broncos did what they were supposed to do on Sunday: Blow out a team that was winless. It took some time to get going but Denver did what they had to do and took care of the Raiders rather easily 41-17. It didn’t start that way. The Raiders looked energized and ready to pull the upset, while Denver looked sluggish, sloppy, and unmotivated. After being down 10-6 in the second quarter, the Broncos rallied for five straight touchdowns to take a commanding 41-10 lead. It was a good win because the Broncos did what they had to do, but it continues to show that this team is not bullet proof at all. Here are my thoughts and observations about the game…

1)    What an awful start to this game by the Broncos. Peyton Manning gets picked on the second play of the game. That led to a Raiders field goal. Justin Tuck then picked off Manning in the second quarter and that led to a Raiders touchdown and the 10-6 lead. For most of the first half, the Raiders were playing better. They were knocking down Manning’s passes, and they held the Broncos to only two field goals. It really looked like the Raiders were going to possibly pull off the upset.

2)    The game changed on two plays. First, Bradley Roby’s interception of Derek Carr late in the first half set the Broncos up with good field position down 10-6. The second play was a 3^rd and 8 pass from Manning to C.J. Anderson. Anderson took the pass that was destined for a 1 yard gain, broke three tackles, and weaved his way for a 51 yard touchdown. It was the turning point in the game, and one of the biggest plays of the season for the Broncos this year. Anderson had a big day with 90 yards on 13 carries as well.

3)    From there, the Broncos took over. Another key moment was the Broncos got the ball back right before the half and in four plays Manning hits Emmanuel Sanders for a 32 yard touchdown down the sideline to make it 20-10. The whole game completely changed in just a matter of minutes. Finally, the Broncos offense was alive.

4)    The second half was all Broncos. Their defense completely shut down the Raiders offense and Carr. They picked off Carr one more time (T.J. Ward), and the highlight was when Carr was under pressure and he threw it to his own lineman, who caught the ball then proceeded to fumble it. The Broncos recovered deep in Raider territory. That play just summed up the second half of this game.

5)    Four plays later, Manning hit Julius Thomas on a sweet slant/pick play for a 10 yard touchdown and a 27-10 lead.

6)    Manning then hit Thomas again on a play-action fake that caught Charles Woodson out of positions and the play resulted in a 32 yard touchdown on a 4^th and 1 in the 3^rd quarter. It was a sweet play and gave Denver a 34-10.

7)    The next series saw Manning hit Sanders on a really nice post play for a 15 yard touchdown and a 41-10 lead as the 3^rd quarter closed. It was really nice to see Denver turn up the heat on both sides of the ball, and the Broncos offense took advantage and put the game away for good.

8)    Once again, the offense got off to a  sluggish start on the road. This has been a concern as of late-especially against bad teams like the Jets and Raiders. The offensive line was reshuffled this week with Manny Ramirez going to guard, Louis Vasquez going to tackle, and Will Montgomery getting his first start at center. The line struggled early on and it hasn't been consistent all year and the run game has been very suspect.

9)    This  defense is good enough to smother a young QB and that is what they did on Sunday against Derek Carr. I have a lot of confidence in this defense against weaker offenses, and Sunday proved it once again. Game balls on defense have to go to DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller once again, and players like Brandon Marshall, T.J. Ward, and Bradley Roby routinely made plays throughout the game.

10) Peyton Manning put away a rough start to the game and finished with 31-44 for 340 yards and 5 touchdowns in about three quarters worth of play. Manning is always in this column every week for his stellar play. I liked the distribution to the receivers. Demaryius Thomas continues to light it up with 11 catch 108 yard game. Julius Thomas had 6 receptions for 63 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Emmanuel Sanders had 5 catches for 67 yards and 2 touchdowns.

11) At 7-2, Broncos did what they had to do and now finish the three game road trip at St. Louis on Sunday.