In a game full of chaos, penalties, and fumbles, the Raiders prevailed 23-20 in a nail biter. It was a typical Raider vs Bronco rivalry game, where there are always numerous penalties (most of them unnecessary roughness or personal foul calls) called. The Raiders proved to be the more physical team and dominated in the trenches. The Raiders defensive line tallied 4 sacks and consistently pressured Orton all game long. On the offensive side of the ball, the Raiders offensive line opened up running lanes on the left side for Darren McFadden to run through. The Raiders dominated the game on every level except discipline. The Raiders almost allowed the Broncos to come back and win by giving them 2nd and 3rd chances on drives through dumb penalties. But hey, I guess that's Raider football for ya. :)
Positives:
+ K Sebestian Janikowski: Was 3/3 on FG's and made a 63 yard field goal as time in the 1st half expired!
+ RB Darren McFadden: Did we expect anything less than 22 carries for 150 yards? He dominated the Broncos as he usually does against their weak run defense.
+ FS Matt Giordano: Had a huge game for us replacing the injured Michael Huff. Giardano had a momentum shifting interception on a throw intended deep for Bronco WR Brandon Lloyd, and also forced a fumble that was recovered by the Raiders.
+Raider's Defensive Line: Richard Seymour, Tommy Kelly, and Matt Shaughnessy all had atleast 1 sack. Would have had more if not for some holding penalties called on the Broncos.
+ WR Darrius Heyward-Bey: This was DHB's best game of his career. He was our go to guy last night, and converted some huge 3rd downs for us. He was actually Campbell's favorite target for once. He almost had a deep completion downfield in the 2nd quarter but Campbell's throw was too far toward the sideline for it to be completed in bounds. DHB keeps improving and will look to prove haters wrong this year.
+ FB Marcel Reece: One of our best playmaker's on offense. He is trully a matchup nightmare for defenses. Has the ability to block for DMac, as well as motion outside as a WR and make big plays in the passing game. Reece scored the Raiders first TD of the season on a pass to the flat from QB Jason Campbell.
+ CB Stanford Routt: Played pretty well when matched up against Brandon Lloyd. Only allowed 1 reception if I remember correctly. Had 2 pass deflections and was solid in man coverage. Most of Lloyd's receptions came against CB Chris Johnson who was injured most of preseason and training camp.
+ HB Michael Bush: Struggled a bit in the 1st half but sealed the game for the Raiders in the 4th quarter with huge runs for 1st downs to keep the clock runinng.
+ LT Jared Veldheer and C Samson Satele: These two guys had great games on the offensive line. Both were exceptional in both run blocking and pass protection.
Negatives:
- RT's Khalif Barnes and Stephon Heyer: Everyone who played RT for the Raiders seemed to struggle last night whether it was due to false starts, holding calls, or just getting beaten by the Broncos fantastic OLB pass rushers Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil.
- PENALTIES!!! The Raiders nearly gave the game away by getting so many stupid penalties. Some calls were questionable but most of the Raider penalties were stupid and showed that there still lies a lack of discipline on this Raider football team. The Raider's had 15 penalties in the game for 140 yards. That's just downright pathetic.
- WR Jacoby Ford: Had a terrible opener. He fumbled the Raiders first offensive play of the game and gave the Broncos their first 3 points. Didn't contribute anything after the first two possessions and injured his hamstring later in the game.
-WR Nick Miller: Why is he still on the team? He let a punt bounce from the 12 yard line instead of calling for a fair catch and it rolled down to the 1 yard line to give the Raiders terrible field position. He didn't catch a pass and hasn't contributed anything the past 2 years on the team. We have more capable guys of returning punts such as WR Denarius Moore.
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