Grading the Raiders in a 20-19 loss to the Denver Broncos
How the Raiders performed in a 20-19 loss to the Broncos:
OFFENSE: B
In two losses, the Raiders haven’t mustered much of a run game — now sitting at 187 total yards on 50 carries for a 3.7 average — but when your quarterback (Derek Carr) is 29-of-32 passing for 288 yards and a score against a defense the level of the Broncos, while also completing balls to nine different receivers in the first half alone, you probably did enough to win.
DEFENSE: C
The Raiders get an A for shutting out Denver the opening 30 minutes, an F for allowing 20 points thereafter and again only totaling one sack, meaning it was a dead-flat average performance. You can blame the altitude, but the Raiders also wilted down the stretch against the Rams last week in Oakland. A tired D? Denver’s last four possessions were over 11, 10, 14 and 10 plays. Scored on all of them.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C
Do you know when a blocked extra point in the first half proves brutal? When you lose 20-19. On that snap, Raiders tackle Donald Penn got beat by Shaquil Barrett, who was able to get a hand on the Mike Nugent attempt. It didn’t seem much then. It proved so later.
COACHING: B
The call on fourth-and-1 with his team leading 19-10 early in the fourth quarter and driving at the Denver 33 was terrific by Jon Gruden — he can’t help it that Keith Smith had hands of stone — and the overall game plan was much better than against the Rams.
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Ed Graney Review-Journal
