Denver Broncos 10, Las Vegas Raiders 7
This game was a surprisingly low-scoring affair. At least it caught me a bit by surprise. Although that said, I'm not entirely certain why this surprised me. There have been times when the Broncos can score a lot of points in games, as they did against the Giants and then Dallas in consecutive weeks (although it was really only the fourth quarter that the Denver offense came alive against the G-Men), as well as some other games earlier in the season, like against the Colts and the Bengals.
However, that offense has been inconsistent in terms of scoring, at best. Because while they might have been productive in some games, the offense also struggled against the Texans and the Jets.
Of course, it was not really surprising that the Raiders offense looked sluggish. After all, they have one of the lowest ranked offenses. Plus, Denver's defense ranks near the top of the NFL.
So I guessed that the Denver offense would pull it together, find another gear. Maybe I was half-expecting that because of some of the great offensive talent that this franchise has had over the course of decades. with names like John Elway, Terrell Davis, and Peyton Manning. But while the Broncos are finally starting to look like serious and regular playoff contenders in these past two seasons, it seems clear that they nevertheless still have wrinkles that need to be ironed out. That seems particularly true on offense, where they looked rather pedestrian again last night.
In truth, there was little offense from either team. Combined, the two teams totaled just over 400 yards, 20 first downs, and 17 points total of offense. That's between both teams, mind you.
Not the kind of game you want to watch if you like offense. But a solid defensive performance by both teams, to their credit.
Also, the Broncos earn another victory. It is their seventh straight win, as they improve to 8-2. For now, that's the best record in the league. Denver has won more games to this point in the season than any other team in the league.
As for the Raiders, they fall to 2-7 in a season that felt largely disappointing and irrelevant a while ago.
My pick: Accurate
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