39:03 to 20:57. In a 60-minute football game, the first number is how long the Denver Broncos offense possessed the ball. The latter, the Las Vegas Raiders time of possession.
Denver strolled into Allegiant
Stadium on Sunday and played a classic game of keep away as the Broncos had little trouble in dropping the Raiders 24-17. The victory marks Denver’s 10th straight while the defeat is Las Vegas’ 11th consecutive AFC West loss and sixth-straight loss this season.
Another game, another inconsistent outing that featured some glaring face plants for the Silver & Black.
“Unfortunately, a couple of these games seem very similar in format when you look at them,” Raiders head coach Pete Carroll noted as he began his postgame press conference. “The scenario of the impact of third downs on both sides of the ball continues to be a factor, and that’s why they can hold the football and keep it away from us, and we can’t keep our drives going. That’s one simple way of looking at it. And then one explosive play, it kind of knocks you out a little bit.”
Marvin Mims Jr.’s punt return for a touchdown certainly was a haymaker that stumbled Carroll’s Raiders. It was a play that featured a shorter than usual punt from the normally consistent AJ Cole III, a missed tackle by cornerback Decamerion Richardson (No. 25), and Mims Jr. getting out of the traffic and weaving through for the score.
A microcosm of all the bad that’s going on for the Silver & Black as poor execution continues in all three phases. The special teams face plant comes after Carroll dismissed former special teams boss Tom McMahon and interim lead Derius Swinton II is in charge. Gone is McMahon but the same sloppy and uncharacteristic special teams gaffes are still ever present.
Under Carroll in 2025, however, the lack of execution and identity are without question, are Raiders characteristics.
Defensively, Las Vegas couldn’t create a stop and get off the field. On 12 third down attempts, Denver converted seven and moving the chains was a balanced affair from Sean Payton’s offense with 14 coming via pass and 11 via rush. In all, the Broncos ran 72 plays for 356 yards with 204 of those coming from the aerial attack and 152 coming from the ground game.
Payton was also money in the red zone dialing up two touchdowns on three attempts inside the Raiders’ 20-yard line.
“Yeah, we got the ball run on us today, and that hasn’t been happening like that. There’s some games when they run the ball in fourth quarter and then they get some extra carries and all that, but this game, we didn’t control the running game like we normally do,” Carroll explained. “They averaged five yards a carry the first half and the second half, so that’s not good enough on our end.”
One of the few bright spots for the Raiders: The opening drive. That was a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown trip that featured three passing plays over 10 yards apiece, the last of which was a 15-yard dime from quarterback Geno Smith to tight end Brock Bowers.
Backup signal caller Kenny Pickett did play in relief of an injured Smith (hand and shoulder ailments) and showed a live arm with zip. He also showed pocket awareness and willingness to scramble and throw on the run finishing 8 of 11 for 97 yards and a touchdown — a 25-yard dart to wide receiver Shedrick Jackson.
Beyond that, however, it was another forgettable outing all around for the Silver & Black.
Let’s hit the quick slants as fast as Mims broke free for his house call:
—Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty finished with 10 carries for a paltry 30 yards. He added eight yards on two receptions. In comparison, the Broncos had six different players get a rushing attempt and were led by rookie RJ Harvey’s 17-carry, 75-yard, one-touchdown effort. Denver fullback Adam Prentice had an 18-yard gallop as part of the Broncos’ 152-yard output on the ground.
—Denver quarterback Bo Nix finished 31 of 38 for 212 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He did add a rushing touchdown while getting sacked a trio of times. Meanwhile, Smith finished 13 of 21 for 116 yards while getting sacked three times. Pickett was sacked once.
—Linebacker Devin White paced the Raiders defense with 19 total tackles (10 solo) while safety Jeremy Chinn added 11 total stops (seven solo). Chinn also had a sack alongside defensive end Maxx Crosby and rookie defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway. Nik Bonitto, meanwhile, paced the Broncos defense with two sacks.
—Raiders rookie wide receiver Jack Bech paced the team with six targets and he hauled in all six for 50 yards. Bowers was second with five targets and finished with four receptions for 46 yards and the touchdown. Wide out Tre Tucker was targeted five times and hauled in two for 24 yards.
Quote of Note:
“I’ve always tried to be as prepared as I can be. The only thing that I think you don’t get as the backup is the reps, which is a huge piece. Outside of that, it’s constant communication with Geno (Smith), the offensive line, the receivers, so we’re all on the same page in case something happens like it did today, and you can go in there and operate and play good football. I’ll always be ready for when my number’s called.”
—Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback Kenny Pickett on how confident he’d feel starting against the Philadelphia Eagles next week if called upon.
Up Next:
The Raiders are slated for back-to-back road trips the next two weeks starting with a trip East to face the Philadelphia Eagles (8-4 and currently in first place in the NFC East). The Eagles are in Southern California today to face the Los Angeles Chargers (also 8-4 and second in the AFC West) in what should be a good Monday night contest. Win, lose, or draw, the matchup with the Eagles will be a tough one for the Raiders next Sunday.
