The Denver Broncos outlasted the Oakland Raiders on Sunday afternoon, as they opened scoring on the day with a field goal and an A.J. Derby touchdown delivered by QB Trevor Siemian. Oakland would close the gap after a long Johnny Holton touchdown reception. However, it was all downhill from there for Raiders fans.
In the third quarter, QB Derek Carr was injured and removed from the game, and they'd only manage a field goal without him. Denver escaped with a 16-10 victory after intercepting an E.J. Manuel desperation heave into coverage in the game's waning moments. With that, we give you our PFF exclusive takeaways from the contest for each team.
Top 5 Grades:
S Justin Simmons, 88.1 overall grade
CB Will Parks, 85.2 overall grade
CB Bradley Roby, 81.5 overall grade
CB Aqib Talib, 79.8 overall grade
WR Emmanuel Sanders, 79.1 overall grade
Performances of Note:
QB Trevor Siemian, 76.4 overall grade
Siemian was strong throughout the game, dominating at the intermediate (10-19-yard) level, going 7-for-8 for 128 yards and a touchdown. He finished 16-of-26 overall, but his adjusted completion percentage of 81.8 percent ranked fourth in the NFL this week. Perhaps more impressive, Siemian was under pressure on 54.8 percent of his dropbacks, highest in the NFL this week, but he consistently found the open man and made plays both within and outside of the structure of the offense.
HB C.J. Anderson, 68.1 overall grade
After carrying the ball only eight times a week ago, Anderson looked like the workhorse once again for the Denver offense. He forced three missed tackles on 20 carries and picked up 77 of his 95 yards after contact as he did a nice job of taking what was there in Denver's versatile run scheme.
S Justin Simmons (88.1) and Will Parks (85.2)
Denver's strong safeties were both a major force in this game. Will Parks was consistently making plays around the box, and his only negative came on a play where he ran onto the field late and didn't get the defensive call, allowing TE Jared Cook free behind the first wave of the defense. Simmons made the game-sealing interception, high-pointing the ball and taking it away from WR Amari Cooper.
CB Bradley Roby, 81.5 overall grade
While Roby is the least consistent of Denver's big three corners, he is capable of the same elite play of the other two, and this was one of his better performances. He allowed just two receptions for 16 yards in the game, and broke on a pass to Amari Cooper to notch a pass breakup.
Top 5 Grades:
CB T.J. Carrie, 85.8 overall grade
EDGE Khalil Mack, 85.2 overall grade
G Kelechi Osemele, 81.1 overall grade
FB Jamize Olawale, 80.1 overall grade
T Marshall Newhouse, 79.0 overall grade
Performances of Note:
T Marshall Newhouse, 79.0 overall grade
Given he was going up against Von Miller, Marshall Newhouse actually performed pretty well in this game. He was aided in no small part by an extensive amount of help, in particular from chips by FB Jamize Olawale. He did surrender an ugly looking sack, but he was the victim of an uncalled defensive hold from Derek Wolfe that sprang Miller unblocked to the quarterback.
WR Johnny Holton, 78.2 overall grade
No Michael Crabtree meant opportunity for other receivers on the Raiders roster, and it was Holton who came up with the biggest play of the game for the Oakland offense, running past safety Darian Stewart for a deep touchdown bomb. It was the only pass Holton saw come his way in the game from his 12 snaps, but it was the biggest thing that happened on a lackluster Raiders offense.
EDGE Khalil Mack, 85.2 overall grade
It was another day at the office for Mack who picked up two sacks, two hits, and three hurries on his 27 rushes while adding another four stops as a run defender. He nearly had the play of the game with a strip of QB Trevor Siemian, but he was ruled down. Regardless of that result, Mack remains one of the best players in the league and even in a loss, he showed his ability to take over the game in multiple ways.
CB T.J. Carrie, 85.8 overall grade
Carrie had a fine game, allowing only one catch on three targets for 10 yards to go with a pass breakup. He was right there with WR Demaryius Thomas for the first quarter pass breakup and he even got in on a tackle for a loss in the run game. Coming into the game, Carrie had given up 14-of-17 targets thrown his way, but this was his best outing of the season.
PFF Game Ball: Justin Simmons, S
*Grades are subject to change upon review
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