Las Vegas Raiders run over Broncos, stay alive in AFC Playoff race

The Las Vegas Raiders battled it out against the Denver Broncos in Week 16, leaning on the run game in a 17-13 victory against their division rival.

The Las Vegas Raiders got some of the help they needed heading into their Week 16 matchup against the Denver Broncos, as the Los Angeles Chargers lost to the Houston Texans, and the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens. All they had to do was take care of a Broncos team that was without their starting quarterback at home, a task that should have been a lot easier than it proved to be.

Early on, it looked like Derek Carr and company were going to have their way with the Broncos, as after a scoreless first quarter, Carr led the Raiders on a 14-play drive that culminated in Hunter Renfrow scoring from ten yards out. It was a beautiful catch by Renfrow in the back of the end zone, and for a second, it looked like the talent gap between Carr and Drew Lock would be the difference.

Then the Raiders did what they always do, and that shot themselves in the foot, as the Broncos would go on to score 13 straight to close the half. A Josh Jacobs fumble would set up Brandon McManus’s 55-yard field goal to pull Denver within one, and on the next play from scrimmage for the Raiders, Carr would gift the Broncos a touchdown.

Looking to pass once again to Jacobs for some reason, Carr tossed the ball into the hands of Bradley Chubb, who ran it back for the touchdown. That gave the Broncos a 13-7 halftime lead, and at that point, it was clear there was no shortage of Denver fans inside Allegiant Stadium.