Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos: 3 things we learned in Week 17

2 of 4

DENVER, COLORADO – DECEMBER 29: AJ Cole #6 holds as Daniel Carlson #8 of the Oakland Raiders kicks a field goal against the Denver Broncos in the second quarter at Empower Field at Mile High on December 29, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Missed opportunities

The officials were not great, and we’ll get to that later, but the Raiders themselves missed multiple opportunities to score in this game. Starting with the opening drive where Derek Carr misfired on a pass intended for Hunter Renfrow, who was open for a touchdown. Which forced them to settle for a field goal attempt which Daniel Carlson missed.

That was just a sign of things to come throughout the game as the Raiders would end up going only 1-5 in the red zone, and despite having 477 total yards, could only manage 15 points. That just can’t happen when you are fighting for your season.

There were certainly a few things that did not go the Raiders way, but there is no way Jon Gruden and this team can say they played a good enough game to win. On top of the lack of points, they had another 10 penalties bringing the season total to 128, which ranks third-worst in the league.

Oakland deserves a ton of credit for not giving up and fighting until the end, but when you double a team in total yards and still lose, you’re more to blame than the refs.

Home/Las Vegas Raiders News