Team Grades: Broncos Survive Stoic Raiders Defense, Improve To Perfect 5-0
By Abraham Gutierrez
After a promising start to the 2015 NFL season, the (2-3) Oakland Raiders have dropped under .500 for the second time, falling victims to the (5-0) Denver Broncos' (top-ranked) defense by a final score of 16-10. Pending the result of Monday night's game between San Diego and Pittsburgh, Oakland finds itself sitting in third place in the AFC West barely ahead of Kansas City, who – much like the Silver and Black – suffered a stunning loss at the hands of Chicago.
Speaking of upsets, the Raiders went into their Week 5 showdown with the rival Broncos listed as six-point home underdogs. As the final tally indicates, bettors who put money on either team (against the spread) are more than happy to walk away with a push (no action), which is always better than taking an "L" any given Sunday.
"I'm disappointed for all the men in that room and how hard they've worked," said Coach Del Rio following the game, "but we will continue to attack these games and look for better results."
Offense: D-
For a second consecutive week, Oakland failed to get the running game going, and thus, became more predictable. This is particularly a terrible formula when going up against one of the best defenses in all of football. Denver went into Week 5 ranked first in the NFL in total yards and passing yards per game, as well as second in point per game surrendered.
Needless to day, Wade Philips defense lived up to the hype, limiting the Raiders' attack to a touchdown and a field goal all game. This came on the strength of 20 first downs and 288 total yards yielded, out of which, 223 came through the air.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr recorded his second sub-par contest, completing 26-of-39 passes for 249 yards, a touchdown and a pick, for a quarterback rating of 82.1. The second-year man out of Fresno State was also sacked four times for 26 negative yards, and, for a second straight game, was also responsible for a lost fumble.
"Our goal is to win the division, so, when you lose a division game is hard," Carr said after the game. "There's no moral victories for us. We can we can compete with everybody and we feel like we can win games, but we're young and we're learning how to do that. So, we will continue to grow and get better now, so we can pull these kind of games out."
The lone area where Oakland had a real opportunity to capitalize in was on the ground, which was Denver's weak point defensively. Prior to Week 5, the Broncos' ground resistance ranked seventh in the NFL, giving up just over 90 yards per contest.
However, against an anemic Raiders rushing attack, the Broncos outdid themselves, giving up just 65 yards on 25 carries. Latavius Murray led the team with 39 yards on 13 carries, followed by Jamize Olawale's 13 yards on six carries. On the receiving end of Carr's passes, Oakland leaders were: Michael Crabtree (4 catches, 54 yards), Marcel Reece (7 receptions, 49 yards, TD) and rookie sensation Amari Cooper was limited to 4 grabs for 47 yards.
Defense: A+
Going up against the great Peyton Manning, the Raiders defense certainly did its part, keeping this team in the game all afternoon long. Oakland's "D" walked away giving up just 15 first downs, 297 total yards, 43 rushing yards, 254 passing yards and most importantly, were spectacular in third down, as Denver went 2-for-13 when it mattered most.
"I thought we gave ourselves a chance in the football game," a proud Del Rio said of his defensive unit's effort. "We got off the field on third down. We've been really solid against the run. There were some positives. You know I don't like to sit here and try and pick out positives the day after a loss."
The defensive player of the game for Oaktown was none other than 18-year veteran safety, Charles Woodson. Destined for a ninth Pro Bowl appearance, the 39-year-old from Fremont, Ohio, came in looking for the first interception of his career against No. 18.
Much like he's done throughout his future Hall of Fame career, Woodson exceeded all expectations. The former Heisman Trophy winner picked off Manning twice on the day, improving his interception total to four on the year, which is good enough for a first-place tie with Carolina's Josh Norman in the National Football League.
"[It's] unbelievable what he's doing," Del Rio said regarding his stellar safety. "Just to be playing alone at 39-years-old is incredible. But to be such a productive player – making big plays in the game, clearly he's banged up and fighting through the pain, his pain threshold is off the charts. I'm really proud of the effort we're getting from our guys."
Special Teams: F
This is perhaps where the game was decided, as for the first time all year, Oakland's special teams unit chose the worst time to have an off-day. Coming in with a perfect 7-for-7 record in field goal kicks and after setting a new franchise record for consecutive games played (241), Sebastian Janikowski seemed poised for a huge afternoon.
Proving to be human after all, the 16-year-man out of Florida State simply couldn't find his range. After a perfect start to the year, the 37-year-old from Walbrzych Poland went just 1-for-3, including one that was blocked by Denver.
"As far as I know he's fine," Del Rio said regarding the health status of the franchise's all-time leading scorer. "He's had many great days, you know, today just wasn't one of them."
Coaching: F
There were certainly some questionable calls on the offensive side of the football that made things extremely difficult for Oakland to pull off the upset. In retrospect, it was the raiders offense that simply could not get going, and that's partially because of the lack of a balanced offensive attack.
Out of 68 total plays, the Raiders ran the ball only on 25 times, putting a huge burden on the offense to carry the load. As a result, the Raiders lost the always-crucial turnover battle, 3-2, and fumbled the rock three time, giving it away on two of those occasions.
"I feel disappointed for the men in the locker room," coach Del Rio said in his post-game press conference. "There's no consolation in this league for playing hard and playing well enough to keep it close and have opportunities."
Next up, the Oakland Raiders will lick their wounds as they head into their bye week of the 2015 NFL season. The Silver and Black will get right back at it in Week 7, when they travel to Qualcomm Stadium in Southern California to take on another AFC West rival in the San Diego Chargers.
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.
