Broncos First Half: Week 5 Reactions and Analysis

October 11, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) runs with the football against Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (58) and inside linebacker Danny Trevathan (59) during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos trail the Oakland Raiders 7-3 as we head to the locker rooms. The score might be close, but the Oakland Raiders appear to have taken control of the game. Here are some reactions and key moments from the first half.

Demarcus Ware carted off with a back injury

Perhaps the biggest story coming out of the first half is Demarcus Ware was carted off to the locker room late in the second quarter. They are calling it a back injury and is questionable to return to the game.

If he ends up lost for the game, it will be a huge loss for the Broncos defense. Losing a leader on defense is never a good thing. I look for Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett to step up in his absence. Although, Shane Ray is a bit nicked up.

Broncos Country wants to wish you well wished Demarcus Ware. We hope that the injury is not too serious. Good thing the bye week for the Broncos is just two weeks away.

Oakland controling time of possession

The Oakland Raiders have done their part in keeping Peyton Manning off the field while gassing the defense. The Broncos only had the ball for a little around four minutes in the first half and a little over 11 minutes overall in the first half.

While the Broncos offense has been a bit sluggish to start the game, it is quite interesting as to how the Broncos defense cannot get the Raiders off the field. While the score has been close, as I mentioned below, it seems the Raiders are the one’s controlling the game.

Charles Woodson Finally Intercepts Peyton Manning

As the Broncos were driving to take the lead as the first half ended, Peyton Manning made a costly mistake and was intercepted by Charles Woodson. A bit of a flashback as both players were Heisman Trophy finalists in 1997, where Woodson edged out Manning for the award.

This marks the first time in his career that Woodson intercepted a pass thrown by Peyton Manning. It appeared as if Manning was trying to force it to Owen Daniels. A key moment in that drive was a dropped touchdown by Ronnie Hillman.

It was tough to see such a solid drive end in such disappointment. Now we are all going to hear about how Peyton Manning does not have it anymore.

The Broncos get the ball to start the second half. Let’s hope they can regroup and do better. Go Broncos!

Next: Broncos Week 5 inactive list