How the Raiders and Broncos Made Grim History on TNF

The Las Vegas Raiders' loss to the Denver Broncos was historic for all of the wrong reasons.

Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) is sacked for a loss against the Denver Broncos during the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders' offensive woes continued on Thursday in primetime for the entire country to witness. Thursday night's loss to the Denver Broncos was a continuation of the larger issues that have plagued the Raiders this season and much of the past two seasons.

Raiders and Broncos Make History

The Raiders' offense struggled up and down the field throughout Thursday's contest against the Broncos. Las Vegas' defense forced Bo Nix and the Broncos into an equally sloppy game, making for a sloppy game all the way around. It was a defensive masterpiece, which is not always appreciated.

It was a hard-fought loss for the Raiders, who could not afford another subpar performance from their offense and special teams. For the third consecutive season, Las Vegas' offense will be its Achilles heel. Thursday was another display of how inept the unit has been this season.

Las Vegas' offensive performance was much more indicative of where their offense stands than the Broncos. Denver's offensive performance was a testament to Las Vegas' defense. Much of Las Vegas' offensive performance was a testament to how bad the unit has been this season.

John Breech of CBS Sports noted just how bad both teams were on Thursday night. The matchup was historical and not in a good way. The Raiders' defense held a Broncos offense that averaged nearly 30 points per game to 10.

Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders place kicker Daniel Carlson (8) misses a field goal as Denver Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones (93) and wide receiver A.T. Perry (87) defend in the fourth quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

"According to Next Gen Stats, this was the first game since 1976 where BOTH teams had more penalties than first downs. The last time it happened came when two expansion teams played with the 0-5 Seattle Seahawks facing the 0-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So yes, the Raiders and Broncos were playing expansion-level football," Breech said.

"In the 1976 game, the Seahawks ended up winning 13-10 to earn their first win of the season. Seattle was called for 15 penalties while finishing with 14 first downs. On Tampa Bay's end, the Bucs were flagged 20 times while finishing with 18 first downs. 

"The Broncos won this game despite totaling just 220 yards of offense. Going into Thursday night,NFL teams had been 0-24 over the past year in games where they scored 10 points or less with under 220 yards of offense, which tells you how rare this win was."

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