KICKOFF: After winning the opening coin toss, the Raiders elected to defer. Oakland will now get the ball to start the second half.

Q3 15:00: Jacoby Ford took the opening kickoff to the 22-yard line, where the Raiders offense took over. After an incomplete pass, Jason Campbell found Zach Miller on the sideline, and the tight end stiff-armed a tackler before running for a 27-yard gain. On the ensuing first down, the Raiders tried the same end-around to Ford that resulted in a touchdown in the first quarter. This time the defense sniffed it out, and a penalty flag pushed the ball back 10 more yards for holding. Now second-and-20 at the Oakland 44-yard line, Michael Bush takes a carry before being stood up by Mario Haggan after a gain of a yard. On second down, Jamal Williams puts pressure on Campbell, and his blocker is called for a hands-to-the-face penalty to slow up the defensive lineman. Now second-and-29, Bush takes a carry and is stopped after a gain of 3 as boos rain down from the crowd. On third-and-26, the Broncos are called for offsides, giving the Raiders another opportunity to pick up a first down on third-and-21. Campbell buys time in the pocket before connecting with Ford at midfield — short of the first down. Shane Lechler is back in to punt on fourth down, and Syd’Quan Thompson is back to receive. The punt bounces out of bounds at the 6-yard line, and there’s a flag on the field — holding on the Broncos, placing the ball at the 3-yard line.

Q3 10:57: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is far from full, but the crowd that is in attendance seems to be all clustered in each end zone. So with the Broncos backed up near their own goal line, the fans are getting rowdy. Tim Tebow takes the snap and hands off to Lance Ball, who is tripped up behind the line of scrimmage. The ball is now at the 1-yard line as Denver faces second-and-12. Tebow is hit as he hands off to Ball, and the back manages to get back out to the 5-yard line. Now third-and-8, the crowd is getting loud. Tebow takes the snap from under center and hands off to Correll Buckhalter. The back is stopped at the line of scrimmage, and Britton Colquitt is in to punt to the waiting Nick Miller. It’s a booming punt that’s fielded at about the Oakland 40-yard line — a 56-yard punt — but Miller finds plenty of room for a return. He’s brought down short of a touchdown by Richard Quinn, but he’s penalized for a facemask. With the ball at the Denver 24-yard line, Campbell lofts a pass intended for Marcel Reece, but D.J. Williams is there in coverage to break it up. On second-and-10, Darren McFadden picks up 6 yards on a run. Mario Haggan is shaken up after the play. He walks to the sideline under his own power, flanked by trainers. Now the Raiders face a third-and-4 at the 18-yard line.

Q3 8:33: On third down, Campbell lines up in the shotgun. He takes the snap, quickly drops back and tries to drop off a pass but he’s hit hard as he throws and it falls incomplete. They call it roughing the passer, however — he was tackled by Jason Hunter as he threw, and as he was falling, he was hit by Marcus Thomas. The penalty is offset by an intentional grounding penalty on Campbell — who is shaken up after the play. Kyle Boller is in to attempt third-and-4 again, and it’s a handoff to McFadden. The back is stopped at the line of scrimmage, bringing out Sebastian Janikowski for a field goal attempt. He knocks home the 35-yarder to give the Raiders the lead.

RAIDERS 20, BRONCOS 17

Q3 7:20: Janikowski slips on the ensuing kickoff, and the bouncing kick is fielded by Eric Decker, who returns it to the 36-yard line. On first down, Tim Tebow launches a pass downfield toward Brandon Lloyd, who draws a pass interference penalty on his defender, putting the ball at the Oakland 40-yard line.

**INJURY UPDATE** Knowshon Moreno will not return to the field with a side injury, and CBS is reporting that Richard Seymour will not return to the game, either.

Q3 6:50: After a run by Lance Ball that loses a yard, Tebow fires to Lloyd on the sideline, and the receiver picks up a first down at the 22-yard line. On the ensuing first down, Tebow hands off to Buckhalter, and the veteran fights off a tackle only to lose 3 yards. On second-and-13 at the 25-yard line, Tebow fakes a handoff before firing to Ball in the end zone, and the running back drops the pass. On third down, Tebow lines up in the shotgun. He fakes a drop back before taking off down the sideline, but he’s stopped short of the first down. Steven Hauschka is in to attempt a field goal to tie the game, and the 35-yarder is good.

BRONCOS 20, RAIDERS 20

Q3 5:03: Hauschka’s kickoff is fielded by Ford, who nearly breaks away but is dragged down by Lee Robinson at the 34-yard line. On first down, Michael Bush is tackled hard by David Bruton after a gain of 3. Second down brings a fake handoff by Campbell and a pass down the middle of the field to Ford. Ford and Hill seem to be shaken up after the play, but Hill remains in the game as Ford limps to the sideline. It’s a 25-yard gain to the Denver 38. Bush takes a carry on the next play, and he’s stopped by Robert Ayers after a gain of 7. On second down, Bush takes another carry, but he’s hit hard by Haggan after a gain of a yard. On third-and-2, Campbell seems to call an audible before handing off to Bush, who is stopped short of the first down — he picks up just a yard. Janikowski is in to attempt a 47-yard field goal, and it’s good as the Raiders retake the lead.

RAIDERS 23, BRONCOS 20

Q3 1:24: Ball fields the kickoff, returning it to the 36-yard line. On first down, Tebow hands off to Ball, and the back is tackled at the line of scrimmage. On second down, Tebow drops off a pass to Richard Quinn, who leaps over a defender before being taken down a yard short of the first down. The Broncos are hit with a false start penalty on third down, however, making it third-and-6 at the Denver 40-yard line as the third quarter comes to a close.

Q4 15:00: On third-and-6, Tebow takes the snap in the shotgun and throws a screen pass to Buckhalter, who was seemingly tackled with the ball in the air. No flag on the play, however, so Colquitt is in to punt. Nick Miller spins out of one tackle, but is brought down by Bruton at the Oakland 27-yard line. On first down, Campbell finds Marcel Reece on a misdirection play, and the fullback sprints 73 yards for a touchdown. After a false start on the extra point attempt, Janikowski knocks home the second try to give Oakland a 10-point lead.

RAIDERS 30, BRONCOS 20

Q4 14:32: Eric Decker is hit hard at the 24-yard line on the kickoff return. The offense is back on the field, and the crowd is on its feet. Tebow hands off to Ball, who is stopped after a gain of 1. On second down, Tebow fakes a handoff before firing deep downfield for Jabar Gaffney, who hauls it in at the Oakland 43-yard line. It’s a 32-yard gain. On the ensuing first down, it’s another fake handoff, and Tebow battles through defenders to pick up 5 yards on a quarterback keeper. Buckhalter takes a carry on the ensuing play, picking up 3, making it third-and-2 at the Oakland 35-yard line. The crowd is loud again as the offense breaks the huddle. Maybe too loud, as Denver calls its first timeout of the second half.

Q4 12:01: On the other side of the break, Ball takes a pitch and bursts through a hole in the offensive line to pick up the first down. On the ensuing first down, Ball takes another carry and picks up 2 yards. Spencer Larsen is down after the play.

Q4 11:11: On second-and-8, Tebow fakes a handoff before firing toward Lloyd in the end zone, but it’s too far and out of the end zone. On third down at the 30, Tebow is in the shotgun. He takes the snap and tries to run, but Nnamdi Asomugha is there for the stop after a gain of 3. Hauschka is in to attempt a field goal, and the 45-yarder is in to pull Denver within 7 points.

RAIDERS 30, BRONCOS 23

Q4 10:04: Hauschka slips on the kickoff, but the kick keeps rolling and the Raiders will start at their own 35-yard line. On first down, Campbell hands off to McFadden, who bursts through the line to the Broncos 45-yard line.

INJURY UPDATE: Spencer Larsen has an ankle injury and is questionable to return.

Q4 9:17: McFadden takes another carry on the ensuing first down and picks up 5 yards to the 40. On second down, Campbell’s pass intended for Reece is too far in front of the fullback and falls incomplete. That makes it third-and-5, and Campbell is in the shotgun. He takes the snap, takes a few steps back and fires toward Murphy on the sideline, but Andre’ Goodman is there in coverage and swats the pass away. That makes it fourth down, and Shane Lechler is in to punt to Syd’Quan Thompson. The punt bounces high and is fielded at the 6-yard line.

Q4 8:21: The crowd is getting loud as the Broncos face a first-and-10 from their own 6-yard line. Tebow hands off to Lance Ball, who is stopped behind the line of scrimmage and pushed backwards into the end zone — but his forward progress was stopped at the 2. Now second-and-14, Tebow lines up under center. He takes the snap and hands the ball off, but Buckhalter is stuffed in the end zone for a safety.

RAIDERS 32, BRONCOS 23

Q4 7:37: Colquitt is in to punt away the ball after the safety. He booms it all the way to the 10-yard line, but Nick Miller finds room to the sideline. He’s hit hard out of bounds by Nate Jones, drawing a penalty. Oakland’s offense now takes over at the Denver 47-yard line. Campbell hands off to McFadden, who is stopped by Justin Bannan after a gain of 2. On second-and-8, Campbell completes a pass to Jacoby Ford for a first down at the 30-yard line.

Q4 6:15: On the ensuing first down, McFadden is tackled by a swarm of Broncos, led by D.J. Williams, after a gain of 2. Second down brings another carry by McFadden, and Haggan hits him hard behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 1. Now third-and-9 at the 29, Campbell lines up in the shotgun. He takes the snap and fires to Zach Miller, who is stopped short of the first down. Oakland calls its first timeout of the second half.

Q4 4:36: Seagulls are flying around in the stadium as the Raiders elect to go for it on fourth down — and Campbell finds Zach Miller for a first down at the 17-yard line. Oakland lets the clock wind down before the Raiders are called for a false start penalty.

Q4 3:49: Campbell finds McFadden out of the backfield and the back scampers down to the 1-yard line. On the ensuing play, Bush plunges into the end zone for a touchdown — his second scoring run of the game. Janikowski’s extra point is up and in.

RAIDERS 39, BRONCOS 23

Q4 3:37: Decker fields a bouncing kickoff and is thrown down at about the 30-yard line, and the ball comes loose. The Broncos recover it, however, and will start at their own 31. Tebow lines up in the shotgun, takes the snap and throws to Lloyd, who picks up a quick 5 yards. On second-and-5, Tebow is in the shotgun again. He buys time in the pocket before throwing high to Daniel Graham, who can’t come away with the pass. On third down, the offense breaks the huddle with Tebow in the shotgun yet again. He drops back and avoids a sack before being brought down by another defender. After the play, Lamarr Houston shoves a Bronco in frustration for missing the sack. Colquitt is in to punt and kicks it to the 29-yard line, where Britt Davis brings down Nick Miller. It’s actually a 4-yard return, and the Raiders have the ball at their own 33-yard line.

Q4 2:27: Bush picks up 3 yards on first down, and Denver calls its second timeout of the half.

Q4 2:23: On second down, Reece takes a carry for 4 yards, and Denver calls its final timeout.

Q4 2:17: Now third-and-3 at the 40-yard line, McFadden takes a pitch to his left and picks up the first down to bring the game to the two-minute warning.

Q4 2:00: With Denver out of timeouts, Campbell takes a knee three times to seal the Oakland victory. Denver drops to 3-11 with two home games remaining on the schedule — vs. the Houston Texans and San Diego Chargers to end the season.

-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com

Tags: Oakland Raiders, Second Half Blog, Week 15

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