The Raiders gutted it out with some stud performances in Denver for a tough 17-16 win over the Denver Broncos. It was a hard-hitting affair all afternoon and resulted in the Raiders’ 7th consecutive victory over the Broncos. It wasn’t the most graceful game either team has played, and there will be lots for both teams to fix before their next games.
Raiders Week 1 Slay and Bomb
Slay:
Maxx Crosby
“Mad Maxx” once again caused havoc all over the field. He was an absolute stud out there on the field. Crosby lined up most of the time against new Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey and made his presence felt. Despite drawing double teams and triple teams and fighting through non-holding calls all game, Crosby played like a stud. On one play, Crosby moved the former 49ers right tackle McGlinchey like a small child and sacked Wilson.
For the game, Crosby finished with five tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, two QB hits, and pressured Wilson all afternoon long. Crosby is a potential stud pick every week of the regular season, considering he’s one of the best players in the league. He certainly showed why today in Denver.
Divine Deablo & Robert Spillane
Both guys came out on Sunday and played like studs. Deablo had missed considerable time, having suffered an injury during the 2022 season. With that context, his performance out there was spectacular. Spillane came over from Pittsburgh and earned his captain status today. Both men were all over the field, making plays. The Raiders linebacker core was a massive question mark coming into the season, but both guys stepped up to the plate. Deablo, in particular, made a phenomenal play to make a diving swat on a pass in the red zone.
For the game, Deablo finished with nine tackles, one tackle for loss, and a pass breakup. Spillane finished with seven tackles and one tackle for loss. Considering that linebacker was a massive concern for the team, it was great to see them step up.
Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (10) – Jack Dempsey/AP Photo
Jimmy Garoppalo
“Jimmy Vegas” definitely gave Raiders fans an experience in Denver. He was 20/26 for 200 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the endzone. It was a very efficient day for Jimmy G. He also didn’t get sacked at all, only taking three hits all day. The Raiders offensive line did well to protect him, and Jimmy G delivered. He seemed to build up a connection with Jakobi Myers, who turned in an impressive game with nine catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns before getting injured. Myers deserves a special mention as all of Raider Nation is hopeful he’s okay, as he took a vicious hit from Broncos safety Kareem Jackson.
Raiders WR Jakobi Myers (16) – Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
Jimmy also threw the eventual game-winning touchdown to Myers in the 4th quarter and also ran for the game-sealing first down to finish off the Broncos. If he can continue performing like this going forward, he’ll keep the Raiders in contention. We’ll see how he performs next week in Buffalo.
Bomb
Entire Raiders Secondary
Where to start? There were some bad penalties across the board for the Raiders secondary. Jaqorian Bennett got flagged twice for pass interference on 3rd downs, extending Denver drives. Marcus Peters managed to commit illegal touching despite being far away from the play, which negated a fumble recovery by Deablo. The Broncos receivers versus the Raiders secondary was an important matchup I had previously highlighted.
Broncos QB Russell Wilson (3) – Jack Dempsey/AP Photo
They had a hard time stopping the Broncos’ passing attack all game long, especially when Russ would get outside the pocket. Tre’von Mohrig struggled a bit in the first half, and Marcus Epps also struggled in pass coverage in the red zone. Bennett was playing in his first career game and had trouble guarding the Broncos’ receivers, but hopefully will improve going forward. The team has shown a lot of trust in him very early in his career, and hopefully, he will reward that faith going forward.
Penalties
Both teams were terribly undisciplined. Both teams were even in penalties across the board with 10. Both teams had six penalties that resulted in 1st downs for the others. The Raiders are often amongst the most penalized teams in the league, however. Head Coach Josh McDaniels often preaches discipline and will absolutely make this a major talking point going forward in the locker room.
Penalties have oftentimes been a backbreaker for the Raiders over the years. They aren’t going to win a lot of games going forward if they keep making dumb penalties that help their opponents have sustained drives. The defense only held the Broncos to 16 points, but it could’ve been a lot worse. They’re going to be playing quarterbacks such as Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Justin Herbert this season. They will not win a lot of games where they commit 10+ penalties in a game again.
Hunter Renfrow
Hunter Renfrow was a complete non-factor in the game today. He wasn’t targeted one time the entire game today, a massive surprise, to be sure. Renfrow appeared to get open on one play, but Jimmy G took off for the game-sealing first down, so in the larger scheme of things, it’s a more than acceptable result.
Renfrow appears to have a role in the offense as the starting slot receiver. However, the Raiders are paying him an awful lot of money. The Raiders need to get him more involved if they wish to have more of a return on their investment. He needs to play more of a role in the offense going forward if the Raiders are going to have continued success.
