Raiders Down the Broncos in Physical 32-23 Win

The Las Vegas Raiders played another close game, but this time the outcome was different.

Josh Jacobs ran seven yards for his second touchdown of the game with 2:02 remaining to clinch a 32-23 victory over the AFC West rival Denver Broncos on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and the Raiders ended a three-game losing streak to start Josh McDaniels’ first season as head coach of the Silver and Black.

The Raiders, who lost their first three games by five points to the Los Angeles Chargers, six points to the Arizona Cardinals, and two points to the Tennessee Titans, avoided starting a season 0-4 for the first time since 2014 when Coach Dennis Allen was fired after the last of those defeats.

Jacobs helped the Raiders control the ball for much of the game by rushing for a career-high 144 yards on 28 carries and also scored from 10 yards out in the second quarter, while Daniel Carlson kicked field goals of 26, 39, 22, and 30 yards, running his streak to 35 in a row, even though he missed an extra point in the second quarter that made things dicey for a while.

Denver (2-2) tied the score at 16-16 on quarterback Russell Wilson’s 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy with 1:24 left in the second quarter, but Carlson’s 39-yard field goal made it 19-16 on the last play of the first half and the Raiders never trailed again as Carlson’s next two kicks made it 25-16 in the fourth quarter.

The Broncos made it close when Wilson drove them 75 yards on six plays, including his 55-yard pass to wide receiver J.J. Hammler, and Wilson took it in himself on a three-yard touchdown run with 7:16 left in the game to make it 25-23.

However, the Raiders came right back as quarterback Derek Carr, who completed 24-of-31 passes for 188 yards without a touchdown or an interception, engineered a 75-yard scoring drive in nine plays, the last Jacobs’ clinching touchdown run.

Carr, who rushed seven times for 40 yards, ran nine yards for a key first down on the drive and also hit wide receiver Davante Adams with a 17-yard pass while running back Zamir White made a 22-yard run around left end on third down to the Denver seven-yard-line on only his second carry of the game.

Jacobs scored on the next play and the Raiders, who held the Broncos to 97 total yards in the second half, held Denver on downs before running out the clock to end their losing streak.

The defense came up big all game, with the biggest play a 68-yard touchdown run on a fumble recovery by cornerback Amik Robertson after safety Duron Harmon knocked the ball loose from Denver running back Melvin Gordon and the Raiders had a 16-10 lead with 3:15 left in the first half.

However, Carlson missed the extra point, but after Wilson’s touchdown pass to Jeudy, there was a high snap on Denver’s extra point attempt, and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins got a hand on Brandon McManus’ kick, which fell short and it was 16-16 until Carlson’s three straight field goals.

Adams led the Raiders with nine catches for 101 yards, while Jacobs added to his running total with three receptions for 31 yards, and wide receiver Mack Hollins had three for 33.

Wilson completed 17-of-25 passes for 237 yards and ran four times for 29 yards to also lead the Broncos in rushing.

Linebacker Divine Deablo led the Raiders with eight tackles and linebacker Denzel Perryman had five before leaving with another injury. Safety Johnathan Abram also had five, while defensive end Maxx Crosby had four tackles, all for losses, two of the Raiders’ three sacks of Wilson, and three quarterback hits. Cornerback Nate Hobbs made three tackles and the other sack.

The Raiders will have an extra day this week to prepare for another AFC West rival.

The Silver and Black then will have a bye week before hosting the Houston Texans on Sunday, Oct. 23, at Allegiant Stadium ahead of another road game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday, Oct. 30

That Las Vegas Raiders now travel to the Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs next. That game is on Monday, October 10, 2022, and it can be seen on ESPN. The game starts at 8:15 PM ET/ 5:15/PM PT.

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