Raiders rewind: What happened on fateful pick-6 in Denver?
Describing the Raiders’ season as a roller coaster has probably become a cliche by this point.
But it continues to be so accurate.
The Raiders have followed up every win this season with an ugly loss. They beat the Browns 20-16 at Allegiant Stadium on Sept. 29, then were blown out by a mediocre Broncos team in Denver on Sunday.
The loss was mystifying because the Raiders started well. They scored their first opening-drive touchdown of the year and were on the verge of taking a 17-3 lead before disaster struck in the form of a pick-6 from quarterback Gardner Minshew.
It was all downhill from there.
Here’s a closer look at how things came crashing down:
Putting it into perspective
The Raiders had an eight-game winning streak against the Broncos before Sunday. They had won every meeting between the two AFC West rivals since relocating to Las Vegas.
That streak is now a thing of the past.
The defeat represents more than just one loss for the Raiders. It showed their struggles when facing adversity.
The Raiders were playing by far their best game of the season before Minshew’s interception. It was concerning that the team appeared to just completely fall apart afterwards.
The offense became tentative. The defense started to miss tackles. The Raiders have to find a way to overcome plays like that, even if they occur early in a game.
Star of the game
This is an easy call.
Rookie tight end Brock Bowers was phenomenal Sunday. He had eight catches for 97 yards and a touchdown and could have had more. He was constantly open.
Bowers looks like the Raiders’ best option in the passing game at this point. He could draw plenty of extra attention in the coming weeks with star wide receiver Davante Adams injured and seeking a trade out of town.
The touchdown was Bowers’ first in the NFL. It came in the first quarter when he jumped and fought off safety P.J. Locke to come down with the football at the Broncos’ 35-yard line. Bowers then raced down the sideline for a 57-yard touchdown.
It was an impressive catch, but what turned it into a score was wide receiver’s Tre Tucker’s blocking downfield. Tucker screened off cornerback Pat Surtain II, the player who picked off Minshew, and cleared the way for Bowers to jog into the end zone.
Play of the game
The play that swung the game was Minshew’s pick.
Bowers had just set the team up with a first-and-goal at the 5-yard line after an 8-yard reception. He appeared to be wide open again the next play after leaking out into the left flat.
Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers ran a route five yards behind Bowers that drew a cluster of defenders. Tucker was behind Myeres and appeared headed towards the corner.
Minshew rolled out to his left and tried to throw to Bowers for what should have been an easy touchdown. But he made a critical mistake.
“I just overthrew him,” Minshew said.
Some credit for the miss goes to Broncos linebacker Jonah Elliss, who jumped in Minshew’s direction as the ball was being released. Minshew tried to loft the ball over Elliss’s outstretched hands and ended up floating it well over Bowers’ head.
Surtain, who was covering Meyers, caught the ball and immediately started upfield for a 100-yard touchdown.
Minshew did his best to stop Surtain. He engaged with Elliss and tried to get off the block and make a play, but the two ended up tumbling to the field.
Drive of the game
The Raiders’ best possession didn’t even result in a touchdown.
The team took over at its own 10-yard line with a 7-0 lead for its second drive of the game. The Raiders went 68 yards on 14 plays and set up kicker Daniel Carlson for a 40-yard field goal.
The team converted a pair of third downs on the drive. Minshew, who completed all five of his passes for 30 yards that possession, picked up one with his legs after running for 11 yards on a third-and-9.
What were they thinking?
Raiders punter AJ Cole is the best in the game. But coach Antonio Pierce has become far too willing to send him onto the field.
Pierce elected to punt facing a fourth-and-2 from Denver’s 42-yard line in the second quarter with the two teams tied 10-10. That drive was an opportunity for the Raiders to seize control of the game again after Minshew’s mistake.
Instead, Cole punted and pinned the Broncos at their own 3-yard line. But it was another questionable fourth-down decision by Pierce.
Observations
■ Meyers played well as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver with Adams out.
Meyers finished with six catches for 72 yards and got open more often than those numbers indicate. He also blocked well.
■ Left tackle Kolton Miller, who missed almost all of training camp while recovering from shoulder surgery, continues to round into form.
Miller looked rusty to start the year, but he had probably his best game of the season Sunday.
■ Defensive end Maxx Crosby returned against the Broncos after missing the first game of his career Sept. 29 with an ankle injury, but it was clear he wasn’t 100 percent.
Crosby recorded two sacks and was consistently disruptive, yet there were other plays where he wasn’t able to make much of an impact. He also sat out an uncharacteristic 11 defensive snaps.
■ Rookie linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, a fifth-round pick in April’s draft, struggled in his first career start. Eichenberg was slow to react at times and didn’t consistently get where he needed to go.
Third-year safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, on the other hand, continues to thrive in place of the injured Marcus Epps.
Looking ahead
The Raiders host the Steelers and Pittsburgh’s fearsome defense this week.
The matchup may look bad on paper, but there could be a silver lining. If the roller coaster continues, this is a game the Raiders are supposed to win.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.