This game turned out to be surprisingly not close. The Raiders scored early and often and before the Broncos knew what hit them they were down 21-0. The reasons for the lopsided nature of this score can be found in the matchups we previewed leading up to this contest. Here’s a look at how those matchups turned out.
Broncos Running Game vs. Raiders Rush Defense
The Broncos gained 75 yards on 17 carries. Decent numbers that don’t give you a glimpse of the reality of this game. 21 of those yards came on 2 Kyle Orton scrambles.
The Broncos tried to establish the run game early, but found no success and then the score dictated that the Broncos running game would be a moot factor.
Other than Orton’s carries, the Broncos averaged 3.6 yards on 15 carries.
Broncos Rush Defense vs Raiders Rush Offense
The Raiders jumped out early with the passing game and defense, but they held momentum by completing dominating the Broncos with their running game.
The Raiders ended up gaining 328 yards on 52 rushing plays. Needless to say, these were both season highs. The 328 yards were the third most in franchise history.
The Raiders were led by Darren McFadden who had a career highs with 165 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries.
Despite losing C Samson Satele early and RT Langston Walker briefly, the Raiders offensive line dominated. Raiders Running Backs found holes at the line of scrimmage on almost every carry.
Broncos Pass Defense vs Raiders Pass Offense
Jason Campbell was not asked to do much and made his most important plays early. Coming off of a career worst performance the Broncos were going to try and take the Raiders running game away and make them beat them with the pass.
Campbell quickly took advantage of this and had a 43-yard touchdown pass on the game’s opening drive.
Campbell finished 12/20 with 204 yards and two touchdowns. He did this without the services of Darrius Heyward-Bey, who missed the game with the flu, and then in the second half without Louis Murphy, who left the field with what looked to be a left shoulder injury.