GAME-CHANGING MOMENT
There's an argument to be made here for a pair of first-half fourth-down plays. On fourth-and-2 from the Denver 31, the Raiders appeared to push their lead to 14-0 on a 31-yard pass from Geno Smith to Tre Tucker. Rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. was whistled for offensive pass interference, though, which wiped the touchdown off the board and forced a Las Vegas punt. On the next drive, the Raiders attempted a fourth-and-5 from the Denver 38, and Talanoa Hufanga crashed off the edge to sack Smith and force a turnover on downs. The Broncos scored to tie the game on the ensuing drive.
Those stops kept Denver in the game, but it isn't what ultimately gave the Broncos the lead. That nod goes to JL Skinner's punt block, which was Denver's first blocked punt since 2018. The special teams play set up Denver's go-ahead field goal, and the Broncos did enough the rest of the way to pull out a win.
DEFINING STATISTIC
The Denver defense did it again. The stellar unit held the Raiders without points on 11 consecutive possessions to end the game, allowing just one touchdown on the day. That score, it's worth noting, came after the Raiders started with a short field. During one stretch, the Broncos did not allow the Raiders to record a first down on seven consecutive possessions. Denver sacked Geno Smith six times — including five in the first half — and held the Raiders to fewer than 200 total yards. A week after shutting down the Texans' offense, the Broncos did it again against a division rival.