The Denver Broncos exploded in the second half to tie things up in the third quarter, then blew things open in the fourth quarter with a big special teams play. Eddie Royal fielded a punt from the Raiders, and then blew it open when he blew past Oakland's coverage team for the go-ahead score.
This was the go-ahead score, but the bigger issue was the Denver rushing attack, which gashed the Oakland defense for 299 rushing yards on 38 carries for over seven yards a carry. Willis McGahee compiled 163 yards on 20 carries, and his two touchdowns of 60 and 24 yards helped tie and clinch the game respectively for the Broncos. Tim Tebow was his partner in crime, rushing for 118 yards on 12 carries and threw two touchdowns among his 10 completions while not turning the ball over once.
Carson Palmer looked okay for most of the first half, but other than his lone scoring drive, he was inconsistent most of the second half and threw a killer interception that set up the tying Denver score. Palmer was probably saddled by the absence of Darren McFadden, as the Raiders run attack was stifled for only 100 yards and went to a pass-heavy attack to prevent themselves from overworking Michael Bush. Palmer threw for 332 yards, but completed only 54% of his passes and threw three interceptions along with three touchdowns.
To discuss the result with Raiders fans, hit up Silver and Black Pride. To discuss the game with Broncos fans, hit up Mile High Report.