Here’s what we learned by staying up late night to watch the Raiders beat Denver 23-20.
1. The Raiders defensive line dominated the game. They sacked Kyle Orton five times and never let Orton get set on his throws. Denver had no hope to run the ball; they finished with 38 yards on the ground.
2. It took about two quarters for the Broncos faithful to turn on Orton. The Tebow chants started in the second half with Orton displaying shaky accuracy and decision making. The boos were out in force.
The biggest turning point came when Orton simply dropped a ball early in the fourth quarter as he prepared to pass. The Broncos were down only six and threatening to score. The Raiders recovered the ball and didn’t look back.
3. Oakland dominated the line of scrimmage on offense as well. Darren McFadden rushed for 150 yards. Michael Bush helped kill the clock with some tough running late in the game. There was no doubt who the tougher team was. Oakland has now won eight straight in the division.
4. Oakland would have won by more if not for 15 penalties. Denver had 10 penalties too. That helps explain why the game ended around 1:45 a.m. ET.
And with that, we bid you good night. It was a fun opening week everyone; thanks for reading.