Denver Broncos win: How three phases performed vs. Raiders
By Tylor Walden
Defense
Defensive Line
Domata Peko had quite a game when it came to the running game. He almost made an impact right away as he recovered a fumble. However, it was called back because of defensive holding.
The defensive line held the Raiders to 92 yards rushing. It was not exactly a better performance than Seattle. But the defensive line came up with the stops when it really mattered. Limiting Marshawn Lynch to 65 yards rushing is not too bad in a day’s work.
This running defense looks better than last year through the first two games. We will see how they do on the road next week.
Linebackers
Do we need to say anything more about Von Miller? He recorded another sack, bringing his total to four on the season. He truly can be a game changer when it matters most. Shaquil Barrett even got in on the fun, but on special teams, as he blocked an extra point try by the Raiders towards halftime.
That blocked kick would prove to play a big part in this game as Denver won by just a single point. Barrett low key was a big part of the Broncos win.
It seems as if the inside linebackers are still having trouble covering tight ends. Todd Davis was responsible for a Broncos fumble recovery called back because of a defensive holding.
Secondary
I am going to be blunt here and say that the secondary almost cost the Denver Broncos the game. Apparently, the absence of Aqib Talib and even T.J. Ward is being missed in a big way.
The team did limit Jared Cook to only 49 yards receiving on four receptions. But those catches came in big spots of the game. It was good to see him limited to an extent, but the coverage on the tight ends needs to be worked on.
Whomever covered Amari Cooper throughout the game had a poor showing. The secondary allowed him to gash them for 116 yards receiving on ten catches.
The play calling on some of the catches seem to come straight from a horror movie. This team needs to start pressing the wide outs and not allow so many passes in the middle of the field.
Overall
Take out the poor performance from the secondary, and the Broncos were actually decent on defense. The second half was a lot worse than the first one. So, this team needs to work as a unit and run on all cylinders for the entire 60 minutes.