Published Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 | 2 a.m.
Updated Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 | 4:30 p.m.
The negative milestones keep piling up for this year’s Raiders.
They’ve now lost both games in their season series with the AFC West rival Denver Broncos for the first time since 2014 after a 29-19 defeat Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium. The 2014 season was also the last time the franchise was mired in a losing streak as long as the current seven-game slide it will carry into a game Friday at the Kansas City Chiefs.
Las Vegas looked like it would have a chance to snap out of the struggles against Denver. The Raiders led for most of the first half including 13-9 at halftime with running back Ameer Abdullah having scored the game’s only touchdown — on a six-yard pass from Gardner Minshew.
But Minshew’s turnover woes continued early in the second half when he overthrew a pass intended for Jakobi Meyers that safety Brandon Jones picked off. Denver scored two plays later, on an 18-yard pass from Bo Nix to Courtland Sutton to go up 16-13.
The Broncos never relinquished the lead again, as Sutton added another touchdown with the Raiders settling for three field goals from kicker Daniel Carlson. Las Vegas mounted a 66-yard drive in less than two minutes after Sutton’s second score, but Minshew threw three straight incompletions inside the five-yard line.
Carlson kicked a 22-yard field goal to make it a one-score game at 26-19, and the Raiders’ defense forced a three-and-out on the Broncos’ next possession.
But Minshew would never attempt another pass. Denver’s Cody Barton and Jonathan Cooper combined to drive him into the grass on first down when the Raiders had the ball back deep in their own territory, and Minshew writhed in pain before heading straight to the locker room.
That brought in backup Desmond Ridder, who scrambled for three yards on his first play and then fell victim to a strip sack on his second. Denver linebacker Nik Bonitto drove left tackle Kolton Miller back and got a hand on Ridder’s right arm before it was going forward.
Will Lutz added his fifth field goal of the day to give the Broncos a commanding lead. The Raiders went 69 yards on their next drive but an 11-yard completion from Ridder to Tre Tucker wound up just short of the end zone after review.
Ridder had two chances for a touchdown pass before time expired, but there was first a miscommunication with Jakobi Meyers, who led the team with 10 catches for 121 receiving yards on the day, and he was sacked on the second.
Denver linebacker Jonah Elliss blitzed from Minshew’s blind side and rocked him before the final seconds ticked off the clock.
This is a developing story. Check back later for more coverage and read below for a gameday preview and updates from throughout the game.
The trend of NFL kickers having more length than ever is coming across this afternoon at Allegiant Stadium.
Broncos kicker Will Lutz already has two field goals from more than 50 yards out — and a third from 45 yards — and now the Raiders’ Daniel Carlson has one too. It’s 19-16 Broncos with nine minutes to play after Carlson made a 53-yard field goal.
The Raiders’ latest drive was assisted by one pass interference call, and then hampered by another. The officials flagged Jakobi Meyers for offensive pass interference two plays before Carlson’s long kick.
Carlson and Lutz are a combined 7-for-7 on field goal attempts today.
Interception sets up Broncos for quick touchdowns
Denver has its first lead since 3-0, largely courtesy of Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew.
It’s 16-13 early in the third quarter at Allegiant Stadium after Bo Nix found Courtland Sutton for an 18-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone. The Broncos had such a short field because Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew’s previously solid day spoiled with an overthrow intended for Jakobi Meyers that was picked off by safety Brandon Jones.
Sutton torched Raiders cornerback Jack Jones on the second play to find the end zone. The Broncos had gone three-and-out on their first offensive possession of the second before looking revitalized by the turnover.
It’s time to see if Minshew can regain his rhythm, and if the Raiders’ defense can regroup.
The Raiders are having an offensive resurgence. The Broncos are dealing with a defensive regression.
Las Vegas leads Denver 13-9 at halftime at Allegiant Stadium after each of the final three first-half drives got to the red zone. Ameer Abdullah finished one of the drives with a touchdown catch from Gardner Minshew with Daniel Carlson making a pair of field goals on the other.
The latest kick was from 34 yards as time expired. The Raiders have 189 yards of offense at a clip of 5.9 yards per play while the Broncos are at 162 yards and 5.6 yards per play.
Abdullah has been the most prolific weapon for the Raiders with 10 touches for 54 yards. Quarterback Garden Minshew has completed 14 of 22 passes for 117 yards.
Raiders run fake punt
The Raiders’ longest pass play of the game was from … punter A.J. Cole to … linebacker Divine Deablo.
That’s not a typo. Las Vegas went with some uncharacteristic creativity and trickiness on its last drive, running a fake punt on fourth-and-4 from its own 36 yard line.
Cole got the snap and lofted a pass with a soft touch right into the hands of Deablo, who rumbled down the sideline. The linebacker even pulled off a hesitation move and put his shoulder down to gain five extra yards at the end of the catch.
Las Vegas couldn’t finish the highlight with a touchdown, though. The possession stalled near the goal line and the Raiders settled for a 34-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson.
It’s 10-6 Raiders with just less than four minutes to play in the first half.
Raiders find the end zone
Ameer Abudllah is the lead back instead of passing-down back today, but he just reminded the crowd at Allegiant Stadium that his greatest asset comes as a receiver.
The Raiders’ tenth-year running back caught a six-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Gardner Minshew despite tight coverage from Broncos linebacker Jonah Eliss near the pylon in the front corner of the end zone.
Las Vegas leads Denver 7-3 after the seven-play, 40-yard scoring drive. Abdullah has six touches for 30 yards so far, pacing the Raiders along with Minshew’s 49 yards through the air on 7-for-10 passing.
Broncos score first
The Broncos have moved the ball better than the Raiders through the first four drives, but only have a field goal to show for it.
Denver leads 3-0 after a 38-yard field goal from Will Lutz to cap its second drive. The Broncos went 62 yards on eight plays after forcing a three-and-out from the Raiders during their second drive on the field.
Denver has 33 rushing yards to Las Vegas’ 16, and quarterback Bo Nix has 77 passing yards to Gardner Minshew’s 34 but it might haunt the Broncos that they haven’t been able to put up many points in the early going.
PREGAME
It’s Ameer Abdullah time at Allegiant Stadium.
The tenth-year running back will get his chance to be a featured weapon for the first time since 2017 when the Raiders take on the Denver Broncos starting at 1 p.m. It was trending that way all week and now it’s official with both Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quad) on the inactives list.
White and Mattison were considered doubtful to play on Friday and didn’t progress through the weekend to get on the field.
One key player whose health did improve, however, was cornerback Jack Jones who will play after suffering back and head injuries in last week’s loss at the Dolphins. There will be a lot of pressure to produce for Jones in a defensive backfield without fellow cornerbacks Jakorian Bennett (shoulder) and Nate Hobbs (ankle).
In addition to those two running backs and two cornerbacks, the Raiders’ other inactives are guard Cody Whitehair, tight end Harrison Bryant and defensive tackle Matthew Butler.
The Broncos are much healthier, which will make it a challenge for the Raiders to avoid getting swept in the season series for the first time since 2014. Denver is currently a 5.5-point favorite over Las Vegas.
Read below for a full preview and check back later for live updates throughout the game.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is currently an odds-on favorite to win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award, but two other standouts have surged to leave the No. 2 overall pick little margin for error.
Daniels’ two chasers face off today when Broncos’ quarterback Bo Nix, the No. 12 overall pick, and Raiders’ tight end Brock Bowers, the No. 13 overall pick, meet for the second time this season at 1:05 p.m. today at Allegiant Stadium.
Nix showed flashes of the potential that’s led him to sitting as the reigning AFC Offensive Player of the Week in the first game between the AFC West rivals, a 34-19 Denver win in Week 5.
That started the Raiders’ current six-game losing streak where Bowers has been one of the few — if not only — bright spots.
The University of Georgia product is on pace to break virtually all NFL rookie tight end records with a team-leading 70 catches for 706 yards and three touchdowns.
He had his best game yet in last week’s 34-19 loss at the Dolphins, catching 13 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. Nix’s statistics line in a 38-6 Broncos’ win over the Falcons last week was even gaudier as the University of Oregon product completed 28 of 33 pass attempts for 307 yards and four touchdowns.
Favorable matchup: Raiders’ reworked offense vs. Broncos’ defense
Las Vegas has been so poor during its slide, which has included losing four of the six games by two touchdowns or more, that it’s difficult to come up with any positives. But much of the downturn has been because of offensive helplessness, and that may be changing. The unit looked noticeably improved against Miami in its first game under new offensive coordinator Scott Turner. The Raiders mostly went blow-for-blow with the Dolphins and were within one score until the final three minutes. Quarterback Gardner Minshew killed a streak of five straight touchdown possessions combined between the two teams with a late interception but otherwise had one of his better games. He threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns, Raider career-highs, on 30-for-43 passing. Divisional opponents like the Broncos can typically just tweak the game plan when they face a team for the second time in a season. It won’t be that easy with the Raiders operating a bit differently under Turner than they did with fired original coordinator Luke Getsy. Las Vegas will have a challenge in navigating injuries to both of its top two running backs — Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quad) — with journeyman Ameer Abdullah now likely the featured back but it’s been the worst rushing team in the NFL regardless.
Problematic matchup: Raiders’ injury situation vs. Healthier Broncos’ side
Running back somehow isn’t the Raiders’ most beaten-up and concerning position group. It’s cornerback, where all three of the team’s starters are dealing with injuries — Jack Jones (back), Jakorian Bennett (shoulder) and Nate Hobbs (ankle). Nix tore apart an Atlanta secondary missing three of its top four cornerbacks a week ago, and now may get a similar setup against Las Vegas. The Raiders’ starting lineup is a shell of what the team expected coming into the season, with 12 of 22 first-string spots on the offensive and defensive depth chart different this week mostly because of injury. The Broncos meanwhile have benefitted from injury luck despite having played 11 straight weeks. Their bye isn’t until Week 14, the latest on the NFL schedule this year. Only six active players were on their initial injury report heading into the Raiders’ game, with just one (left guard Ben Powers) not participating in any capacity in practice. The Raiders had eight active players not participating in any capacity in practice with reserve tight end Justin Shorter the lone one among the group who hasn’t started this year.
Gamebreaker: Edge rusher Maxx Crosby
A clip of Crosby trash-talking Nix at the line of scrimmage early in the Week 5 game went viral, with the edge rusher imploring the rookie to, “speak up,” because his teammates couldn’t hear an audible call. Crosby arguably had his best game of the year that day with his lone two-sack performance on the season, and the Raiders badly needed a repeat in Week 12. Crosby has hardly stood out since that game with his numbers down across the board. He’s still been one of the Raiders’ better players but isn’t as much as threatening to make an All-Pro team this season. It’s a high bar but that’s the expectation for a player on a near $100 million contract. The Raiders will likely be starting a cornerback trio of rookie Decamerion Richardson, longtime practice-squad player Sam Webb and Giants’ training-camp cut Darnay Holmes. That’s a group that won’t be able to stand up in coverage if Nix gets extra time in the pocket. It’s primarily up to Crosby to make sure Nix doesn’t get extra time in the pocket. He’ll need to harass Nix with more words.
THEY SAID IT
“It’s on all of us to find ways to win. That’s all we can do. You play for pride. There’s still a lot of football left, a lot to play for in a lot of ways. We’ve just got to keep showing up.”
-Crosby on rallying from the franchise’s longest losing streak since starting 0-10 in 2014
“Ironically, I didn’t even really hear it when it happened in the game. Obviously, I’ve been sent it a lot and seen the video after but I think that’s just part of his game. I think he’s mastered that and he’s tried to use it to his success. I think it’s important when things like that happen, you just kind of come down and get back to the basics, not necessarily listen to it. Cut out the noise and just go to work.”
-Nix on Crosby’s chirping in the first game and how he’ll handle it going forward
“This isn’t a ‘break’ season for me. It’s one of the things you’ve just got to swallow. You’ve got to take it and obviously we’ll look back at all the reasons…Nobody feels sorry for us. Nobody feels sorry for me. You’ve got to roll out there with 11 players, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
-Pierce when asked if he ever questions why he can’t catch a break with injuries
“A lot of faith, a little bit of luck and a lot of purpose. I think purpose keeps people going in life. If you have something, if you have a North Star that keeps you going every single day, it’s easy to keep you moving in the right direction which is forward.”
-Abdullah on what’s kept him in the NFL for 10 years and working towards an opportunity like Sunday may present as a starting running back
Big Number: 0.7%
Nix has a 0.7% interception rate over the last 10 weeks, second-best in the NFL behind Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. The rookie has thrown just one interception in his last 280 pass attempts. It’s a particularly notable stretch of success considering turnovers were one of the concerns with Nix out of the draft and through training camp. The scares looked well-founded through the first two games of the season where he had four interceptions and no touchdown passes. But he’s calmed down significantly from there and, even with the early anchor weighing down his numbers, Nix is tied for 11th in the NFL with a 1.7% interception rate overall. Minshew, on the other hand, is 33rd out of 37 qualified passers with a 3.4% interception rate. Minshew has nine interceptions in total, three more than Nix despite having started three fewer games. The Raiders sit last in the NFL in turnover margin, at -15, while the Broncos are even with 13 giveaways and 13 takeaways. Las Vegas must win the turnover battle to maximize its chances at an upset against Denver.
Best Bet (7-3): Brock Bowers over 56.5 receiving yards
Yes, the Broncos’ defensive game plan will likely be centered on slowing Bowers. No, it won’t necessarily matter. Not with Turner calling the plays and showing every indication that his intention is to force the ball to the rookie tight end as much as possible. Through one game and two weeks on the job, the former UNLV quarterback is less concerned about spreading the wealth of offensive touches than his predecessor. Even if the Broncos succeed in slowing Bowers to build a lead, this bet still has a strong chance at cashing. That likely game script would result in the Raiders going pass heavy and having no choice but to attack downfield in an attempt to get back into the game. Few players in the NFL have been better at finding open space downfield and then tacking on yards after the catch than Bowers. The rookie has gone over this number in seven of 11 games this season, and his workload is only trending up.