Denver Broncos: 5 Takeaways from the Raiders Win

Sunday was Domata Peko Sr.’s day on D.

First, we have to take note of the day Peko had.  He was disruptive at the line, he created pressure, he was blowing plays up in the flat.  He was also his exuberant, joyous self and it was fun to watch.

Against an offensive line that was clearly superior to the one they faced against the Seahawks, Von  Miller still found a way to be disruptive, recording Denver’s only sack and tying up nearly the entire right side of Oakland’s line.

Denver Broncos

While it felt like Marshawn Lynch ran wild against the Denver defense, he had just 65 yards on the day and a long of 11.  Denver’s defense stopped Lynch in several key situations.

Todd Davis had a rough day inside, missing coverage on Jared Cook‘s 20-yard first-half reception and missing some tackles, though he finished with 5 solo tackles, tied for second on the team.

Bradley Roby was victimized by Amari Cooper repeatedly, allowing the big Raiders wideout 10 catches for 116 yards.

There was a scary  goal-line moment for Chris Harris Jr. as he and Darian Stewart collided in coverage.  Harris was evaluated for concussion symptoms but returned to the game.

Justin Simmons had a big day with 8 tackles.  Shane Ray made a nice hit on Lynch in the second half.  Bradley Chubb was largely invisible.

The defense held Oakland to 19 points, that’s good.  They allowed 373 yards of offense, that’s average.  They let Derek Carr complete 29 of 32 passes, that’s not good.

In all, a day that may have looked like a stinker for the Denver defense but they came through when needed and with an offense that couldn’t move in the first half, it was the defense that kept the game close enough for the Bronco victory.