It wasn’t pretty, but the Las Vegas Raiders overcame two Derek Carr interceptions and one fumble apiece from Henry Ruggs III and Darren Waller to beat the Denver Broncos on the road, 32-31.
Editor's note: All of PFF's grades and advanced stats from this game will be finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle.
STORY OF THE GAME
Carr led the Raiders on a seven-play, 77-yard scoring drive in the final two minutes of the game that was capped off by a Josh Jacobs one-yard touchdown run and a Carr-Waller connection for the game-winning two-point conversion.
The Raiders signal-caller completed 24-of-38 passes for 371 yards, two touchdowns and three turnover-worthy plays (including two picks). He should finish PFF’s grading reviews with a 65.0-plus PFF passing grade due in large part to his four big-time throws on the day.
The Raiders also had three offensive linemen (John Simpson, Kolton Miller and Gabe Jackson) grade above 70.0 on PFF’s first review of the game. And Sam Young was the only Raiders offensive lineman with a grade below 60.0.
While Las Vegas' defense was stout against the run, limiting Melvin Gordon III to 3.6 yards per carry, the second and third levels of the unit were a mess in coverage. Cornerback Nevin Lawson was the Raiders' lowest-graded player in the game, and Trayvon Mullen wasn’t too far behind (55.9 on first review).
The box score looked great for Drew Lock. He threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns in the contest, including a 92-yard strike to rookie Jerry Jeudy in the fourth quarter. However, he will likely finish PFF’s grading review process with a sub-75.0 PFF passing grade because he had zero big-time throws on the day and more than 50% of his passing yards came after the catch.
Rookie Watch
Raiders rookie Simpson was one of the game’s highest-graded players. He was a monster in the run game and allowed just two total pressures on the day. Wideout Bryan Edwards also had some bright spots in the game with two catches for 51 yards, including his first career touchdown. Ruggs finished his disappointing rookie season with just three catches for 38 yards and a fumble.
Denver started two rookie cornerbacks in Michael Ojemudia and Parnell Motley against Las Vegas, and each allowed more than 70 yards in coverage and earned a sub-65.0 PFF coverage grade on first review. Offensively, rookie wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland had a positive impact with four receptions for 45 yards, but offensive linemen Netane Muti and Lloyd Cushenberry III earned sub-65.0 PFF grades on first review.
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