3 takeaways from Raiders’ loss: Beat-up offense sputters on ‘TNF’ — PHOTOS
DENVER — Presumably, the Raiders will figure out how to rid themselves of the unforced errors that keep costing them games one day.
Until then, they have to live with the consequences. Like losing to the Broncos 10-7 on Thursday night in a game Denver all but begged the Raiders to win.
The myriad mistakes included kicker Daniel Carlson missing a potential game-tying field goal from 48 yards out in the fourth quarter, critical penalties by rookie wide receivers Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr., a blocked punt and quarterback Geno Smith’s NFL-leading 12th interception of the year.
The Raiders (2-7), despite all that, had a chance to win Thursday. But they simply did not have the fortitude to take the game from the Broncos (8-2).
“Tonight, it was really a problem,” coach Pete Carroll said. “The penalties happened at the wrong time and took all kinds of field (position) from us. And when you miss a kick, that’s hard.”
Smith played under constant pressure once offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and Dylan Parham suffered ankle injuries in the first half. He was sacked six times and hit 11 times. He suffered a quad injury 12 seconds into the fourth quarter on a scramble, but only missed two plays.
The Raiders lost for the seventh time in eight games, while the Broncos won their seventh straight.
Denver’s performance wasn’t pretty on offense. Second-year quarterback Bo Nix completed 16 of 28 passes for 150 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
But the Broncos’ defense was excellent, and their special teams made a critical play. Denver safety JL Skinner blocked a punt by AJ Cole with 1:37 remaining in the third quarter and recovered the ball at the Raiders’ 12-yard line. That set up kicker Wil Lutz’s 32-yard field goal, which broke a 7-7 tie.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Smith was not good
Smith, 35, looked good in the second half of Sunday’s overtime loss to the Jaguars. But he couldn’t build off that performance Thursday night.
Smith completed 16 of 26 passes for 143 yards against the Broncos and failed to throw a touchdown. He oversaw an offense that stalled for long stretches.
The Raiders didn’t record a first down for seven consecutive drives at one point and Smith’s poor play contributed to that.
It didn’t help that he couldn’t move well after suffering his injury in the fourth quarter.
Smith’s poor play was damaging because the Broncos offense wasn’t much better on the other side. This is a game the Raiders could have won if their quarterback had been able to move the ball.
“It’s usually darkest before dawn,” Smith said. “We’re gonna rise. It hurts. It sucks. I give my all to this game, everything I can do to win. We’re trying to figure it out. But we will figure it out.”
2. Rookie mistakes negate big plays
The Raiders traded wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to Jacksonville on Tuesday, which opened up more opportunities for Bech and Thornton.
The two each made mistakes that proved costly against the Broncos.
Bech, with the Raiders leading 7-0 in the first quarter, was called for a holding penalty on a 32-yard run by rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. The team punted two plays later.
Thornton was called for offensive pass interference the next drive, negating a potential 31-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Tre Tucker. The fourth-round pick also dropped a potential long completion in Broncos’ territory late in the first half.
Those errors, which all arguably cost the Raiders points, ended up being critical in a close, low-scoring game.
“Personally, I’m a sore loser. I hate losing. I hate losing more than I like winning,” Thornton said. “I feel, personally, if I catch that pass, maybe we go kick a field goal and we’re up 10-7 going into halftime and that changes the whole trajectory of the game.”
3. Injuries ravage offensive line
The Raiders, already playing without left tackle Kolton Miller (ankle), couldn’t afford more injuries up front.
The absences of Powers-Johnson and Parham were obvious in both pass protection and run blocking in the second half.
Denver’s dominant defense, which entered the game with an NFL-leading 40 sacks, teed off with backups Alex Cappa and Will Putnam in the game.
Smith was under constant duress, while Jeanty had little room to run. The first-round pick out of Boise State finished with 60 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
Carroll said after the game Powers Johnson will be “out for a while.”
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal. com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
