Broncos pass rush too much for Raiders in defensive struggle

DENVER — It wasn’t artistic, but the Denver Broncos notched their seventh straight victory, outlasting the Las Vegas Raiders 10-7 in a defensive struggle at Empower Field on Mile High.

The Broncos stayed atop the AFC West thanks to a defense that sacked Raiders quarterback Geno Smith six times and held Las Vegas to only 10 first downs. Bo Nix hit Troy Franklin for Denver’s touchdown, while rookie running back Ashton Jeanty‘s touchdown was the only Raiders score. Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson missed a game-tying 48-yard field goal with 4:26 left.

Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams:

The Broncos continue to test the limits of one of the league’s best defenses week in and week out. Thursday night was no exception. as the Broncos overcame their own migraine-inducing struggles on offense and in the punt game to survive and grab the victory.

The Broncos improved to 8-2 and won their seventh straight game for the first time since 2015, but they didn’t make it easy. They didn’t get their initial first down on offense until there were just over five minutes left in the first half and didn’t score until tying the game 7-7 with 2:41 left in the first half. The Broncos’ offense had seven three-and-outs and an eighth possession that ended on an interception.

But other than a 41-yard touchdown drive on Las Vegas’ second possession of the game, when the Raiders inherited the ball in Broncos’ territory after a 30-yard punt by rookie Jeremy Crawshaw, the Broncos defense was in lockdown. It held the Raiders to 186 yards and had six sacks (five in the first half) to set up an AFC West showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs a week from Sunday.

What to make of the QB performance: Nix looked unsettled early, as his first three dropbacks of the game included a sack and a misfire to tight end Evan Engram on a three-and-out. But unlike previous weeks, he never found his balance. He certainly wasn’t helped any by the Broncos’ field-position struggles for much of the first half — three of Denver’s first four possessions of the game started at their own 2, 20, and 1-yard lines, respectively — but 43 of his 101 passing yards in the first half came on one completion to rookie Pat Bryant. Nix threw two interceptions to Kyu Blu Kelly, one on a second-quarter overthrow and another on a tipped pass in the fourth. He finished 16-of-28 for 150 yards with a touchdown and two picks.

Biggest hole in the gameplan: Broncos coach Sean Payton talks a lot about “sequencing” when discussing how he approaches playcalling, but the Broncos continue to struggle to find a first-half rhythm, especially when it comes to running the ball. The Broncos had six rushing attempts in the first half and didn’t commit much more to it until the third quarter. Yet, when faced with a third-and-1 in the third quarter, Payton elected to have wide receiver Courtland Sutton attempt a pass — he was sacked — instead of a short-yardage run. Wil Lutz missed a 59-yard field goal attempt on the next play.

Trend to watch: The Broncos are on the hunt of a record that has stood since 1984. With six more sacks Thursday, the Broncos have 46 after 10 games. The single season record, set by the 1984 Chicago Bears, is 72. Their 46 sacks after 10 games are the most since the New Orleans Saints had 44 after 10 games in 2000. — Jeff Legwold

Next game: vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, Nov. 16, 4:25 p.m. ET)

The Raiders’ rookie growing pains were evident on Thursday. Las Vegas gave first-year wide receivers Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. extended playing time following Tuesday’s trade of Jakobi Meyers, and they failed to take advantage of the moment.

Penalties on both players negated big plays by Las Vegas. A holding call on Bech took away a 32-yard, first-half carry by rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. Meanwhile, Tre Tucker‘s 31-yard touchdown catch on fourth down was wiped away due to an offensive pass interference on Thornton.

Jeanty even dropped two passes, with one of them resulting in an interception in the third. Las Vegas’ defense put together its best performance of the season, holding the Broncos to 220 yards. However, the unit’s performance wasn’t enough to overcome the youthful mistakes.

What to make of the QB performance: Smith’s performance wasn’t pretty by any means, but he gave his team a fighting chance. He completed 16 of 26 passes for 143 yards and an interception. It didn’t help that Smith faced pressure throughout the game — he was sacked six times and pressured on 13 dropbacks. Despite playing with a quad injury he suffered in the second half, Smith managed to put his team in a position to at least tie the game. However, the Raiders were unable to capitalize, with Carlson missing a game-tying field goal.

Turning point: The Raiders’ bad luck continued in the third quarter. AJ Cole‘s punt attempt from deep in Raiders territory was blocked by Broncos safety JL Skinner. The pass caromed off Skinner’s facemask, with the Broncos recovering at the Las Vegas 12-yard line. The prime field position allowed Denver to convert a go-ahead field goal to take a 10-7 lead.

Stat to know: With another interception on Monday, Smith’s 12 interceptions are the most by a Raiders quarterback in their first nine games of a season since Kerry Collins had 12 through nine games in 2004, per ESPN Research. — Ryan McFadden

Next game: vs. Dallas Cowboys (Monday, Nov. 17, 8:15 p.m. ET)