November 6, 2025 / 9:37 PM MST / AP
Denver's defense bailed out the Broncos in a 10-7 squeaker over the reeling Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night, sacking Geno Smith six times to atone for spotty performances on offense and special teams.
The Broncos (8-2) own the league's best record, but they didn't look anything like it on a windy night in the Rocky Mountains.
Dre Greenlaw (57) of the Denver Broncos stops Michael Mayer (87) of the Las Vegas Raiders during the first quarter at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium on Thursday, November 6, 2025. AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images
They barely outplayed the Raiders (2-7), who just traded away top receiver Jakobi Meyers, in winning for the seventh straight time overall and extending their NFL-best home winning streak to 10.
Wil Lutz's 32-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in the third quarter broke a 7-7 tie and followed J.L. Skinner's block of AJ Cole's punt, setting up Denver's struggling offense at the Las Vegas 12.
The Broncos lost 2 yards on three plays and Lutz, who was way short on a 59-yarder earlier in the third quarter, nailed it through the wind to give Denver its first lead.
Cornerback Kyu Blue Kelly's interception set up the Raiders at the Denver 45-yard line in the waning minutes, but Daniel Carlson was wide right on a 48-yard field-goal try with 4:26 remaining that would have tied it.
The Broncos chewed up the rest of the clock with a methodical drive at last and ending up taking kneel-downs in victory formation inside the Raiders 20-yard line after Las Vegas ran out of timeouts.
The game was a typical Thursday night flag-fest with neither team able to get into an offensive rhythm and a steady stream of players - including Smith - retreating to the sidelines and the blue tent to have injuries checked out.
The Broncos' trend of slow starts continued as they managed just 6 yards in six first-quarter snaps and trailed 7-0 after allowing Ashton Jeanty's 4-yard touchdown run.
The Broncos finally got a first down on their fifth possession when J.K. Dobbins scampered for a 13-yard gain on first down. Four plays later, Bo Nix found Troy Franklin for an 11-yard touchdown to tie it at 7.
Denver had 116 yards in the first half, two more than Las Vegas. Denver's defense tallied five first-half sacks. The Broncos have 46 so far this season. That's the most through 10 games by any team since at least 1990.
The Broncos again made several miscues on special teams, and rookie Jeremy Crawshaw shanked three first-half punts, which traveled 30, 36 and 38 yards. Skinner made up for that by blocking Cole's punt with his facemask.
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