Busters
S Trevon Moehrig
There were some good defensive plays for the Raiders on the Broncos’ opening drive. And a couple of times it looked like the drive might stall. But ultimately they would convert in every opportunity. The final couple chances were with the Broncos in third and three at the Las Vegas 18-yard-line. Moehrig would give up a 15-yard catch to the tight end to put them in first and goal at the three.
That would turn into second and goal at the five with a run stuff for a loss by Robert Spillane. Which seemed only to serve as breathing room for Russell Wilson to find one of his other tight ends running away from Moehrig in the back right corner of the end zone for the touchdown.
Just before the half, the Broncos would score their second touchdown. Just like before, Moehrig gave up a 15-yard catch to put the Broncos in first and goal. Wilson came up and spiked the ball to stop the clock and threw for a touchdown on the next play.
On the Broncos’ final scoring drive, they lined up at the 20-yard-line and Moehrig was blocked to give up a 12-yard run to put them in first and goal from the eight-yard-line.
CB Marcus Peters
With the Raiders down 13-10 in the third quarter, they needed a break. In other words, they needed a takeaway. And for a moment, it looked like they may have one. In third and six from their own 40-yard-line, Russell Wilson scrambled out left. Marcus Epps hit him and knocked the ball out and Divine Deablo recovered it at the 44. Their best field position to start a possession since the opening drive. But it was all for naught.
There was a flag on the play. Peters was called for illegal contact. So, the turnover was wiped away *and* the Broncos would get a first down.
That single play would not prove devastating as the Broncos would miss the 55-yard field goal and the Raiders would take over at their own 45, which is still decent field position.
The problem is, there wasn’t exactly winning the rest of his time on the field either. He gave up a 10-yard catch on the Broncos’ opening TD drive, missed a tackle on an 11-yard run and gave up a six-yard catch on the next drive to put them in third-and-short, and gave up a six-yard catch that put the Broncos in field goal range on their final scoring drive.
He finished with three tackles — none under five yards downfield — and no pass breakups.
DT Bilal Nichols, DT Byron Young
These three finished with one tackle combined in 55 snaps between them. That one tackle was by Nichols on a three-yard run on second and two. In other words, they did less than nothing in this game.
Young was blocked on runs for six and 11 yards on the Broncos first drive of the third quarter. The latter of which put them in first down at the Vegas 44.
The final Broncos’ scoring drive, Nichols was blocked on a five-yard run and ran out of the play on the 12-yard run to set up first and goal.
The Broncos running back ran for 93 yards on 21 carries (4.4 yards per carry) and the times they were stopped for less than three yards, it wasn’t the Raiders interior DL that was making the stop.
DE Tyree Wilson
Speaking of invisible…the Raiders top pick was nowhere to be found in this game. Several people noted during the game how slow Wilson was off the snap. But no play was better captured than this one by Brian Baldinger.
Wilson’s stats consisted of one assisted tackle. And he never even got close to Russell Wilson all game long. A very bad start for the seventh overall pick.
TE Michael Mayer
Completing the Raiders top three draft picks in the Busters is their second round tight end who didn’t have a single target in the game and whose presence consisted of missing a block on a run stuff for no gain and being flagged for holding on another play.
LB Luke Masterson
The Broncos’ final scoring drive never should have happened. That’s because the Raiders defense had made the stop to force a punt. But Masterson came flying in to take the punter’s legs out from under him. He was flagged for roughing the kicker, and instead of the Raiders getting the ball back, the Broncos kept possession. From there they drove for the field goal.