Last week the Raiders broke a 4-game losing streak with a win in Los Angeles over the Chargers. In the final week of the season, they looked to put back-to-back wins on the board and in turn finish the season with a .500 record. They even came into the game with a chance at the playoffs.
Twice in the early going, the Raiders drove into scoring range and came away with no points. And by the start of the fourth quarter, they were down 16-3. From there, they somehow managed to claw back in it, with the help of the Broncos shooting themselves in a foot a couple times to even things up a bit.
With a chance to tie it with a point after attempt or win it with a 2-point conversion, Jon Gruden opted to go for the win. The Titans had already won which meant the playoffs were out of the question, so why not try to win it in regulation. The pass attempt from Carr was batted down at the line and the Raiders season ended on a low note, with them losing five of their last six to finish 7-9.
Let’s look at who went out with a bang, and who with a whimper:
Top Baller: DE Maxx Crosby
The 4th round rookie’s magical season continued. He bucked that mythical rookie wall and finished strong. And as usual, it wasn’t limited to either pass rush or run support. He just wrecks whatever comes his way and some things that do not.
His first play was a run stuff. It came on the Broncos’ second possession. Five plays later, on third and 4, he got into the backfield to sack Drew Lock. He shared it with Johnathan Hankins which brought Crosby’s season total to 9.0 sacks, tying the second-best rookie total in franchise history.
The Broncos would get the ball back to being the second quarter after the Raiders took a 3-0 lead. After driving to the 26-yard-line, Crosby sniffed out a sweep and shot into the backfield to stuff it for an 8-yard loss. The Broncos couldn’t dig out of it and settled for a field goal.
Late in the third quarter, with the Raiders still facing a 16-6 deficit, Crosby set about trying to ignite the comeback effort when he came flying — and I say flying because that wingspan — around the right edge and reaching out to swipe Lock’s arm as he threw for a strip-sack. Unfortunately, several of his teammates thought it was an incomplete pass and just let the ball go, allowing Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton pick it up and get the first down. No matter, another Broncos unforced fumble two plays later gave the Raiders the ball anyway and the Raiders would add another field goal to pull it to 16-9.
With 3:09 left, down a score, the Raiders defense needed a quick stop. They got one thanks in part to Crosby chasing down Lock and getting his long arms up to bat down Lock’s pass attempt. They would leave with a three-and-out when the Raiders needed it most.
Ballers: TE Darren Waller, WR Hunter Renfrow
Both receivers finished the season with 100-yard efforts. After going his entire football life in high school and college without one, Renfrow finishes out his rookie season with two in a row.
Renfrow saw the first pass of the day from Carr for six yards. Waller got the next one for 18 yards. A few plays later, Waller caught a five-yard pass on third and five. Three plays later, on third and one, Renfrow was open in the end zone and Carr overthrew him. Daniel Carlson’s 39-yard field goal attempt missed wide left and no points came of the drive.
The Raiders were back in scoring range quickly on the next possession. On third and nine from the 8-yard-line, Waller took a pass behind the line and exploded, showing his elite burst and speed to shoot up the left sideline. He went 75 yards to the Denver 17-yard-line before he was stopped. That’s a tight end ladies and gents. And he was already over 100 yards; his fifth of the season. Unfortunately, the Raiders couldn’t finish it off and settled for a field goal.
The next drive, Renfrow had a drop. The pass was a bit behind him, but he should have made that catch. Two plays later, he atoned for it with a 22-yard catch. Then on third and goal from the five, he caught the pass over the middle and it was initially ruled a touchdown. He bobbled it slightly with his butt hitting the turf as he crossed the goal line.
Replay showed it really could have gone either way, but they overturned it anyway. Alec Ingold was ruled short on the 4th and goal run and for the second time in the game, the Raiders were held without points on a long drive.
The third quarter began with DeAndre Washington popping out left and breaking off a career-long 36-yard run. One of the key blocks was a seal by Waller to get him through the line and into the open field. Unfortunately, that drive stalled after that and it was the only real offense the Raiders would have in the third quarter.
Renfrow made a potentially devastating mistake on the next possession. He muffed the Broncos punt. Lucky for him and the Raiders, Alec Ingold alertly pounced on it to keep possession. And that muff made it tough for Renfrow to be labeled any kind of hero for this one, but again he made amends.
Midway through the fourth quarter, with the Raiders still two scores behind, Renfrow was running wide open, Carr’s threw his way, but it was behind him. Renfrow slid and made an outstanding catch, got up and ran with it, and when he was to be stopped 39 yards downfield, he flipped it back to Marcell Ateman who picked up an extra ten yards to the Denver 16. Again, the Raiders couldn’t finish it off and settled for a field goal, but it brought it to a one-score game.
By a stroke of pure luck, the Raiders would get two shots at getting that one score. The second shot, saw Renfrow make a 28-yard catch to put the Raiders in first and goal at the six with 16 seconds remaining. Two plays later, from the 3-yard-line, Renfrow made another tough catch, reaching up and around a defender for the score. Carr was looking for Renfrow again on the 2-point attempt, but it was batted down at the line.
Honorable Mention:
Clelin Ferrell – made two tackles in the game, for run stuffs, one for a loss, the other for no gain. He also pounced on the Broncos’ fumble in the fourth quarter.
AJ Cole — Three punts, two were stopped inside the 20. The other was a 49-yarder with just a four-yard return.
Buster: QB Derek Carr
Carr likes to talk about how much improvement he’s showing based on his stats. For instance, he had his first 300-yard game of the season in this game. On paper it looked great. But the paper doesn’t show all the missed plays that killed scoring opportunities.
The first drive as one. On third and one from the Denver 20-yard-line, Hunter Renfrow got open and Carr simply overthrew him. Renfrow laid out but couldn’t get to it. Daniel Carlson would miss the 39-yard attempt and the Raiders were froze out of what should have been a touchdown drive.
The huge play by Waller off the screen would set the Raiders up in scoring position again. They even got another first down off a Broncos holding penalty. But that too ended with a field goal attempt. This time Carlson made the chip shot so it wasn’t a complete loss. It was the only points the Raiders would put up until the fourth quarter.
DeAndre Washington would break off a 36-yard run to lead out the third quarter. Carr would fumble the snap on the next play and two plays later they would have to punt it away. The next possession would end in a three-and-out with Carr overthrowing Darren Waller up the right sideline on third and two.
The final possession of the third quarter for the Raiders was another three-and-out. On third and 3, Carr saw a blitzing cornerback on the left side and ran right to escape him before giving up on it and throwing the ball into the turf. Had he kept the play alive, he would have had a couple options. Just an instant more and he may have seen Renfrow was about to break open on a cross right in front of him. Or Carr may have been able to escape and run for the first down. Even if he was unable to pick it up, it would have yielded the same results.
Early in the fourth, Carr was able to get things moving and once again the Raiders were in the red zone. Then on third and 16, he missed a wide-open DeAndre Washington out left, opting instead to throw for Derek Carrier with two defenders around him for four yards. They settled for the field goal and their first points since early in the second quarter.
One of the worst plays of the day for Carr actually ended up going for 39 yards. But it was Hunter Renfrow who made it happen. Renfrow was wide open and running into more open space. All Carr had to do was throw it to him and he was gone, very likely for a touchdown. Even if the pass not in stride and Renfrow had to slow down a bit would have sufficed.
Instead, Carr’s pass was well short, forcing Renfrow to make a sliding catch and get up and run for it. By that time, the Broncos DBs got over there and made the stop. The final ten yards of the play were after Renfrow lateraled to Marcell Atemen.
With just over five minutes left in the game, down ten, what the Raiders needed was a touchdown to make it a three-point game. What they got was two more minutes drained off the clock and another field goal which meant the responsibility would be on the defense to make a quick stop and then for the offense to drive for a touchdown.
The defense held up their end, giving the offense another shot. With 2;45 left in the game, the offense would go four-and-out to turn it over on downs. The Broncos would get the ball at the Oakland 27 yard line, needing only to run some clock and kick a field goal to put the game away. Or just get the first down and kneel it out.
The defense stepped up again to keep the Broncos from simply picking up a first down and kneeling out the clock. Then the Raiders got a stroke of luck as on third and 8 Broncos offensive lineman Garrett Bolles was flagged for unnecessary roughness. It turned a 42-yard field goal into a 57-yard attempt and Brandon McManus’s attempt missed just wide right.
When the Raiders got the ball back, they had all been notified via the jumbotron that the Titans has beaten the Texans, so the playoffs were no longer in play. With no pressure, Carr drove the Raiders down the field — with the help of a Broncos unsportsmanlike conduct penalty — to score the touchdown. Gruden went for the win and Carr’s pass was batted down at the line.
Busters: CB Lamarcus Joyner, CB Daryl Worley
Joyner gave up a 14-yard catch on third and 6 on the Broncos’ second possession. Then he gave up a 19-yard catch on the next drive. It was the Broncos’ first two first downs. This drive would go for a field goal to tie it up 3-3.
Worley was flagged for pass interference in the second quarter. Then Joyner gave up an 11-yard catch on third and six to put the Broncos at the 14-yard-line. Two plays later and they were in the end zone to take a 10-3 lead at the half.
The first drive of the third quarter Worley gave up an 18-yard catch and Joyner gave up an 8-yard catch. The Broncos added a field goal to go up 13-3. Next drive Worley gave up a 15-yard catch and the Broncos went up 16-3 to begin the fourth quarter. Worley would miss a tackle on an 8-yard run that put the Broncos in range of a 42-yard field goal that would have iced it. The next play was the roughing penalty on the Broncos that took brought them back 15 yards.
Buster: WR Marcell Ateman
Ateman was given a season-high 52 snaps to fill in for the injured Tyrell Williams. He had 3 catches on 7 targets with a fumble. The fumble came on his longest catch of the day. It gave the Broncos the ball at the Oakland 41 and they scored their only touchdown to take a 10-3 lead at the half.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Carr threw Ateman’s way on what would have been a tough catch, but one he has to make. He didn’t.
The next possession, on what looked to be the Raiders’ last chance to score, Carr threw for Ateman on 2nd and four and he dropped it. Two plays later, the drive was over. To his credit, Ateman did make the biggest catch on the final bonus drive, catching an 11-yard pass on the left sideline on 4th and 2 and got out of bounds to stop the clock.
