The Denver Broncos achieved their eighth victory of the season with a narrow 10-7 win against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night at Empower Field at Mile High. However, the game left many Broncos players, particularly on offense, expressing concern over their performance.
Running back J.K. Dobbins highlighted the struggles of the offense, suggesting it is not providing adequate support for the defense. “Yeah, cool, we”re 8-2… the defense is winning us the games, and we”re not helping them. We”re not doing them any justice,” Dobbins remarked. He emphasized the frustration of watching the defense excel while the offense falters, stating, “They”re doing so great and we”re doing so bad.” The offensive woes have left the defense on the field for extended periods, which Dobbins acknowledged as a disservice to their hard work.
Quarterback Bo Nix also addressed the need for improvement, noting, “At some point, we”ve got to start moving the ball and scoring some points. Between penalties and sluggish football, we”re just not playing very good.” He took responsibility for the team”s lackluster offensive performance, asserting, “It starts with me. I”ve got to be better… We”ve got to find some juice.”
Despite the offensive struggles, the Broncos maintain their lead in the AFC West, riding a seven-game winning streak, their longest since starting the 2015 season 7-0, which culminated in a Super Bowl victory. The defense has been a standout element, allowing one touchdown or fewer for the fourth time this season and accumulating six sacks, bringing their league-leading total to 46 after ten games, the highest since 1990.
The Raiders struggled offensively, failing to register a first down on seven straight possessions and finishing with only 188 total yards. In contrast, the Broncos” offense managed just 220 yards and had to punt seven times, with Nix throwing two interceptions. The Broncos have found themselves trailing in all but one game this season, which was their Week 5 win over Philadelphia, and they have scored 18 or fewer points in three of their last five outings. Notably, the Broncos did not score in the first quarter for the fourth time this year.
The second half of the game saw the offense struggle so significantly that fans began to boo as they exited the field after another unsuccessful drive. Dobbins responded to the crowd”s frustration, saying, “I mean, they should , they should. We”re not very good at times. They should be mad because we have so much talent. We”ve got to figure it out… and we will.”
In the game, the Broncos committed 11 penalties for 78 yards, with eight of those penalties occurring on the offense. This marked the fourth game of the season in which the team was penalized 10 or more times. Currently, the Broncos rank as the second most penalized offense in the league, trailing only the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Head coach Sean Payton pointed out the challenges posed by the Raiders” defense but acknowledged the need for his team to improve, saying, “Too many penalties on offense that put us in a hole, and I”ve got to be better also.” Nix added, “We got to do better. At some point, 10 points isn”t going to be enough.”
The game-winning field goal for the Broncos came after a blocked punt by safety JL Skinner, which set the offense up at the Raiders” 12-yard line. However, they lost two yards on the next three plays, leading to a 32-yard field goal by Wil Lutz that ultimately secured the victory.
Despite their offensive issues, the Broncos” defensive players remain confident, stating they are prepared to handle any situation. Linebacker Alex Singleton asserted, “Whatever we need to do, we do. Just continuing to give the ball, give them every opportunity.” Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, who recorded 1.5 sacks in the game, emphasized their focus on defense, saying, “We don”t look at what the offense does, what the special teams does. Our job is to go out there and get stops.”
