Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 11 vs Broncos
It was a nail-biter for these two teams trying to fight their way out of the ranks of the worst teams in the NFL. It was also a field goal festival as neither team does well in putting the ball in the end zone.
The game went back and forth all game with regulation ending with a 16-16 tie. Then the Raiders got the ball first and ended it in three plays.
Ballers
ED Maxx Crosby
It was the offense that won the game in overtime. But it was Crosby who got this game to OT in the first place. As the game went on, it was clear Russell Wilson was downright terrified of Crosby every time he got near him. And you can’t blame him, honestly.
With the Broncos up 10-7 approaching halftime, they lined up in third and one from inside the five-yard-line. Melvin Gordon took the handoff and looked like he would pick it up, but Crosby punched the ball out. The Broncos recovered, thinking they could at least get a field goal out of it. Crosby had other plans. He blocked the field goal try and in two plays turned a long Broncos drive into zero points.
He then ended three consecutive Broncos drives in the third quarter with two sacks and a pressure to force an incompletion. He would end another Broncos drive in the fourth quarter and they settled for a field goal to take a 16-13 lead. Holding them to three turned out to be the answer as the Raiders tied it up at the end and won it in OT.
WR Davante Adams
It was Adams’s savvy route running that sealed the Broncos’ fate. He had noted the way Patrick Surtain was covering him and made it look like he was running an over route only to run a corner route. Surtain sold out for the over, leaving Adams wide open for an *easy* 35-yard walk-off touchdown.
Adams scored both the Raiders’ touchdowns in the game. The first one came in the second quarter from 31 yards out. This after making a 23-yard catch to start out the drive. In total, he had seven catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
One of his more heads-up plays wasn’t a catch at all. Early in the fourth quarter with the Raiders down 13-10, Carr stared him down, causing the pass to be batted at the line and Adams turned defender to slap the ball down to keep it from being intercepted. That allowed for Daniel Carlson to come out and hit a 57-yard field goal to tie it.
LB Denzel Perryman
Perryman was definitely back. His presence is noticeable on this defense and he was feeling good too.
The defense started to pick things up in the second half. It started with Perryman shooting into the backfield to make a tackle for loss, helping lead to a three-and-out. He also led out the fourth quarter with a tackle for loss which led to another three-and-out.
Perryman finished tied for the team lead with five solo tackles, two for a loss and two QB hits.
RB Josh Jacobs
Jacobs was just churning out first downs in this game. He had three in the drive late in the first quarter to put them in scoring range, including a 14-yard run. He had two more on their touchdown drive in the second quarter.
Jacobs started out their second scoring drive with a 15-yard run. Then he had three consecutive runs for a total of 18 yards to set up their third score. And he made a 43-yard catch to set up their game-tying field goal at the end of regulation.
Jacobs finished with 109 yards on the ground and 160 yards from scrimmage.
G Dylan Parham
Somebody had to block for all those Jacobs runs. And often times that man was Parham. The rookie left guard was a rare bright spot on this shoddy Raiders offensive line. And he did his work without his lefthand man, Kolton Miller in the lineup.
Parham cleared the way on two good runs by Jacobs on their first drive into scoring range and the second went for a first down. And his block on a five-yard Jacobs run in the fourth quarter set up the long field goal to tie it at 13-13.
K Daniel Carlson
Rather unexpected that Carlson is named a Baller in the game that had his first missed field goal in over a year. But after missing from 46 yards out, Carlson went on to make from 52 yards out, a career-high 57-yarder, and the game-tying field goal from 25 yards away at the end of regulation.
He may have had a 56-yard field goal as well, but for some reason, Josh McDaniels opted to punt it instead. It was a strange decision to say the least, especially considering Carlson nailed the 57-yarder in the thin Denver air.
Honorable Mention
S Roderick Teamer — Looked better than Johnathan Abram did on his best day. Had some nice coverage and solid tackles and filled in well for Duron Harmon when he left with cramps.
LT Jermaine Eluemunor — Filled in admirably for the injured Kolton Miller. He wasn’t stellar, but wasn’t a glaring liability either, which is saying a lot considering the difficulty of the position.
