Rivals Duel For 73 Minutes As Raiders
Outlast Broncos 16-13.
The Raiders got the running game going more as Caulder looked just fine, but the offense couldn't seal the deal and put points on the board. One red zone trip was snuffed out by Schumacher's only terrible pass, trying to force the ball to Moore in the end zone. The rest of the time, the Broncos tended to stiffen when they needed to.
The Raiders defense was equally strong. Davarius Bullock played like his hair was on fire, picking up 8 tackles in the first half alone. He only ended up with 10 as the Broncos avoided him for the rest of the game. However, Bobby Wagner was there with 10 tackles of his own.
The offense scored its lone touchdown on a long bomb to Moore. Schumacher put his arm into a pass and put it high and out there for Moore to have a chance to outrun Brent Grimes to the spot. Moore did so with a couple steps separation and was able to get into the end zone.
A FG drive before the half was keyed by a fantastic effort by Justin Blackmon on a long pass. He made a one-handed grab and maintained possession for the big play.

Blackmon's effort put the Raiders in range for a FG to
go up 10-6 as time expired in the first half.
On the Broncos' side, they were in much the same boat. They could move the ball somewhat, but had a QB turnover, a Freeman pass that was hurried and picked off by Peterson, and couldn't get into scoring range. They did manage a couple FG.
The Raiders held the ball for a long part of the third quarter, but managed just 3 points. They led 13-6.
That looked like it would be the final score, but Josh Freeman worked a 2-minute drive amid heavy pressure and Manningham got free for one of his two catches against Brandon Madison, and it went for the tying touchdown.
The Raiders had a chance to lead a game-winning drive, but a sack had the team settle for overtime instead of taking a risk on a crucial turnover.
Broncos got the ball first, but couldn't make anything happen. The Raiders moved the ball some, but, like much of the day, couldn't get into scoring range.
A similar result occurred for the first half of the overtime period. The Raiders got the ball back and were able to get Schumacher back in rhythm. He hit Blackmon and Rice for a couple plays to get things going. He found Chris Johnson on an outlet pass for another first down. A few runs were mixed in with Caulder that had success, and they also set up the big play of the drive on a crossing route to Moore. The play fake let Moore get a step or two and Schumacher hit him for a big completion. That put the Raiders well withing Janikowski's range, and they wasted no time on the FG attempt.
Janikowski split the uprights from 30 yards out to give the Raiders the victory.
In the game, Rolando McClain got a sack acting as RE in a 2-4-5 set. This prompted one sportswriter to comment after the game, "The whole 3-4/4-3 fiasco might be solved by sticking Rolando at defensive end. Walters could play at DT. Dawn might be out of a spot, but he could learn or sub in or something."
One thing is certain, the team doesn't seem to need him in the middle. Bobby Wagner had his most impressive game as a starter, and if Bullock keeps playing like he does - the defense needs to get both of them on the field.
Meanwhile, the Raiders are heading to the AFC Championship Game.
Box Score:
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders | ||||||
Jan 1, | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | OT | SCORE |
Denver Broncos (10-6) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
Oakland Raiders (12-3-1) | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
Team Stats Comparison | ||
DEN | OAK | |
Total Offense | 324 | 437 |
Rushing Yards | 56 | 147 |
Passing Yards | 268 | 290 |
First Downs | 16 | 21 |
Punt Return Yards | 33 | 37 |
Kick Return Yards | 90 | 76 |
Total Yards | 447 | 550 |
Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
3rd Down Converstion | 6-16 (37%) | 8-18 (44%) |
4th Down Conversion | 0-0 | 1-1 |
2-Point Conversion | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | 0/1 (100%) | 0/3 (75%) |
Penalties | 1-5 | 2-15 |
Posession Time | 33:52 | 40:55 |
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