Raiders report: Bishop Gorman alum records 1st 2 NFL interceptions

DENVER — Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly believes opposing offenses have been trying to pick on him this season.

He made the Broncos pay for that Thursday night.

The Las Vegas native and Bishop Gorman alum recorded his first two NFL interceptions to keep the Raiders close in a 10-7 loss to Denver at Empower Field at Mile High.

“One hundred percent (they’ve been coming after me),” Kelly said. “And why not? It’s my first year starting and you have (cornerback Eric Stokes) locking down the other side. We all know it’s coming to the right side, so I have to handle business.

“But if they want to test me, I’ll be ready to make plays over there.”

Kelly’s playmaking Thursday reminded defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV, Kelly’s teammate at Stanford, of their college days.

“I loved it,” Booker said. “Seeing him do his thing like that brought me right back to college. I’m so proud of him. He took advantage of the opportunities that came to him, played his game, stayed in the right state of mind to do what he had to do. I’m proud of him for real.”

Kelly hopes to use his prime-time performance as a springboard for the second half of the season. The 24-year-old lost his starting job to rookie third-round pick Darien Porter, and now the two are splitting time opposite Stokes.

“It was just cool to do it on ‘Thursday Night Football,’” Kelly said. “That’s the kind of stuff you dream about as a kid.”

Gutting it out

Quarterback Geno Smith, who suffered a quad injury 12 seconds into the fourth quarter against the Broncos, hobbled his way to the podium after Thursday’s game.

Smith was replaced by backup Kenny Pickett for two plays to get checked out in the medical tent. But he insisted to coach Pete Carroll he could go back in the game.

“That’s just kind of how I’m wired,” Smith said. “You don’t ever want to leave my teammates out there alone. I feel like it’s a big responsibility of mine to be out there and to do whatever I can to help us win. I felt like I could try to tough it out, and that’s what I tried to do.”

Smith was clearly impacted by the injury the rest of the game.

“Mentally, I just try to block out the pain and just focus on executing the plays,” he said. “That’s going to be there regardless, but I wanted to win this game.”

Smith, despite the loss, insists the Raiders will turn things around once they start limiting mistakes.

“In order to be a good team, you have to play clean,” he said. “I keep saying that every week, you have to play a clean game. You can’t have missed assignments, you can’t have penalties, you can’t have penalties negating big plays, can’t have turnovers. Those are the things that hurt teams. When the Raiders stop beating the Raiders, we’ll go out there and we can beat anybody in this league.”

Getting his shot

The Raiders lost starting guards Jackson Powers-Johnson and Dylan Parham to ankle injuries Thursday, which paved the way for second-year pro Will Putnam to see extensive action.

Putnam replaced Parham at left guard after veteran Alex Cappa filled in for Powers-Johnson at left guard.

“It always feels good to get on the field,” Putnam said. “You’re out there practicing and practicing and practicing. You’re out there on the sidelines. You dress for the games and play special teams. When you get the opportunity to play on offense, it’s time to go.”

Putnam spent last season on the practice squad after signing with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent out of Clemson.

He has been active for eight games this year, but had played just five snaps on offense before Thursday.

The Broncos boast one of the NFL’s best defenses, so Putnam wasn’t eased into action.

“They have some of the best guys in the league, especially the pass rush.” he said. “So some of that is a learning curve on the fly for me to go against the best of the best, but that’s what I practice against, too.”

Putnam could be called on again.

Carroll said Powers-Johnson will be “out for a while.” Parham suffered a high-ankle sprain.

No moral victories

Several teammates credited veteran linebacker Elandon Roberts, one of the Raiders’ emotional leaders, with inspiring the defense with a passionate speech.

“He told us that sometimes it’s not about a magical play call or the perfect situation, it’s just guys consistently doing their job and being where they’re supposed to be on every single play that usually results in explosive negative plays and getting off the field,” Booker said. “That’s what we did.”

Roberts, however, wasn’t in the mood to celebrate the defense’s success.

“We played good,” he said. “But I’m in year 10. I’m not here for pats on the back. I want to win games.”

Defense isn’t fun

Raiders tight end Brock Bowers was held to one catch for 31 yards Thursday, a disappointing stat line for one of the NFL’s best young stars.

Bowers was more concerned with the offense’s performance as a whole.

“It’s just frustrating when you just can’t get anything going,” he said. “Everyone is trying as hard as they can and it just doesn’t happen. It’s weird.

“It’s not as fun as a high scoring game, obviously. It’s just frustrating.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.