On a primetime slot in Week Nine, the Oakland Raiders beat the Denver Broncos. In a game the Raiders dominated from the beginning en route to a 30-20 victory, the biggest of the Oakland Raiders Week Nine takeaways were Latavius Murray and company running wild on Denver’s defense, the Raiders defense continuing their improving play, and the team being un-phased by the bright lights of Sunday night against the defending Super Bowl champs.
Oakland Raiders Week Nine Takeaways
All Aboard the “Tay-Train”
The self-proclaimed “Tay-Train” was full steam ahead against Denver’s vaunted defense, rushing for over 100 yards and three touchdowns on the evening. Rookie Running backs Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington provided a great change of pace for the Raiders offense that ended up with over 200 yards on the ground. Despite not having the yardage totals he had last year, Murray has been much more explosive and showcased an ability to break tackles and use his natural size and speed. Against Denver, he consistently found the open hole and hit it with authority. Murray easily had the best game of his career tonight against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
A huge credit to Murray’s big night was his offensive lineman, who pummeled Denver’s defensive line all night. The big three Kelechi Osemele, Rodney Hudson, and Gabe Jackson dominated Denver’s front seven. They came prepared to be physical and were not afraid by Denver’s status. They came out swinging and hit Denver in the mouth and never looked back. This was Oakland’s best offensive game of the season in terms of running the ball and the front line was a huge reason why.
Dominant Defense and Special Special Teams
The Raiders defense was this teams Achilles heel for the entirety of the season, but had been improving the past few weeks. It turns out they were saving their best performance of the season for the national spotlight. They held Denver to 33 rushing yards as the Broncos went three for eleven on third downs. In fact, Denver didn’t even have a first down until ten minutes into the second quarter.
Trevor Siemian started the game one of seven for a mere four yards. The Raiders defensive backfield was largely up to the task at hand despite being shorthanded. They did give up 265 yards passing but they also held Denver to 20 points and recorded an interception in the final two minutes. Khalil Mack played like a man on fire, taking Siemian to the ground twice and gathering a strip sack that resulted in seven points for Oakland. The pass rush made Siemian uncomfortable for most of the night that was responsible for him missing several throws. The rest of the defensive front played lights out as well.
Punter Marquette King had a heck of a game, landing three of his punts inside the twenty and two of those inside the ten. He pinned Denver deep, which allowed the Raiders to hold a heavy advantage in the field position game. The special teams players showcased tremendous hustle and toughness as well as awareness, not only on punts but on kickoffs, setting the intensity level on high while laying multiple big hits and stopping the ball at the Denver two or three yard line.
Ready for the Spotlight
The biggest and perhaps the most important takeaway from this Week Nine playoff positioning bout was the Raiders readiness for the national spotlight. Quarterback Derek Carr was un-flinching in the face of Denver’s ferocious defense and managed the game nearly perfectly leading the Raiders to a 30-13 lead at one point. Both sides of the line were dominant and the typically terrible secondary played very well.
Maybe even more important than that was Oakland’s clean play. A week after being penalized an NFL record 23 times, they were only penalized eight times against Denver. While not perfect, it does indicate a step in the right direction and reflects very positively on Jack Del Rio, who up to this point did not seem to have his defense mentally ready for play.
The Raiders were better than the Broncos in every aspect of the game Sunday night and it was clear from the beginning that there could be a new sheriff in town. Oakland already boasts the best quarterback in the division and an offense stabilized with a great offensive line and fantastic playmakers at the skill positions. If the defense can continue to play relatively mistake free and not give up huge plays, Oakland can and will make some noise, if this game was any indication. They’ve shown that they can come from behind and win, and they just showed the nation they know how to dominate teams as well. The Raiders have validated their 7-2 record and go into their bye week in sole possession of first place of the AFC West and a 2-1 divisional record.
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