15:00: Eddie Royal takes a knee in the end zone after fielding the opening kickoff to start the second half.
14:25 A five-yard gain on a run by Knowshon Moreno followed by a 10-yard gain on a pass from Kyle Orton to Daniel Graham sets up the Broncos with a first down at their own 35-yard line.
13:00: Moreno picks up nine yards on his first-down carry, and then Correll Buckhalter keeps the chains moving by making some people miss and bursting forward for a 23-yard gain on second down.
12:26: Russ Hochstein is in at left guard in place of starter Ben Hamilton. There’s not an official word on Hamilton’s status, but Hochstein is in.
11:50: Richard Seymour is hit with a 15-yard personal foul penalty after some extra-curricular activity with Ryan Clady after the play, including pulling his hair long after the whistle had blown. That sets up the Broncos with a first down at the Oakland 14-yard line.
10:57: Moreno picks up seven yards on first down, then finds some room on second down and picks up the final seven, heading into the end zone for his first career touchdown in the NFL. The Matt Prater extra point is good, and the Broncos extend their lead over the Raiders to 20-3.
Broncos 20, Raiders 3
INJURY UPDATES: Ben Hamilton has a hamstring injury and his return is probable. Peyton Hillis has a head injury and his return is questionable.
10:52: Jack Williams makes a crucial special teams tackle to bring down the Oakland returner at the 30-yard line after he found some space on the kickoff return.
10:51: Brian Dawkins lays a big hit on Darren McFadden, but not before McFadden picks up a Raiders first down at the 40-yard line. On the ensuing play, McFadden is brought down by D.J. Williams after a gain of four yards. On 2nd-and-6, Andra Davis leads the defense charge to take down Justin Fargas behind the line of scrimmage for no gain. On third down, JaMarcus Russell drops back and finds Zach Miller at the first-down marker. The referees are asking for a measurement, as the spot is a close call.
8:29: After the measurement, the Raiders are just short of a first down, and look to be electing to go for it on 4th-and-inches. It’s a quarterback keeper for Russell, who looks to pick up the first down. There’s a flag on the play, however — offsides on the Broncos, so the Raiders have a first down regardless.
7:28: After an incomplete pass and a run for no gain, Russell is sacked on third down by a host of Broncos defenders. Among them is the sack artist himself, Elvis Dumervil.
6:43: Dumervil is credited for the sack by himself, as he reached Russell and tied him up before his teammates joined the scrum. Shane Lechler is out to punt, and a Raider bounce and solid coverage sets the Broncos up at their own six-yard line.
6:42: A penalty on Eddie Royal — he blocked the kicking team after signaling for a fair catch — means the Broncos are set up at the six yard line. Apparently the penalty is being declined, however, as the original dead ball spot was more favorable for the Raiders. Regardless, the Broncos take over at their own 6-yard line.
5:59: Correll Buckhalter picks up five yards on first down to give the Broncos a little room, but fumbles the ball on second down, and it’s recovered by the Raiders. Oakland takes over at the Denver 16-yard line.
5:06: McFadden picks up five yards on first down, then looks to have a group of blockers and space to find the end zone on second down — but he’s hit hard by D.J. Williams and fumbles the ball. Brian Dawkins recovers the fumble and the Broncos will take back over at their own 11-yard line.
5:05: Oakland is challenging the ruling on the field that Dawkins wasn’t out of bounds before he recovered the fumble. The ruling on the field stands as called — Dawkins got both feet back in bounds and re-established himself before he touched the ball and recovered the fumble. Oakland is charged its first timeout, and the Broncos offense is on the field.
4:57: Moreno takes the handoff on first down from the 6-yard line, where the drive began (not the 11, my apologies). He picks up seven yards, then picks up six more on second down to pick up another first down at the 19-yard line.
3:53: Buckhalter is back in the game, and Orton fakes a handoff to the running back before dropping back and firing a pass toward Brandon Marshall — but the pass is short and falls incomplete. On second down, Buckhalter is stopped for a loss of a yard by Kirk Morrison and Trevor Scott. On third down, Orton drops back and fires a pass toward Jabar Gaffney, but it falls incomplete. Gaffney motions for a flag to be thrown, and it is. Chris Johnson is flagged for pass interference, and Denver has a first down at its own 30-yard line.
3:04: After an incompletion on first down, Orton hands off to Moreno, who looks to be near the first-down marker. It’s officially a gain of 10 yards, but not quite a first down. Third-and-inches for the Broncos at the 40-yard line.
1:45: Moreno picks up the first down on a four-yard run. On the ensuing play, Orton rolls out to his right and throws the ball away to avoid a sack. On second down, it’s Buckhalter who takes the carry and picks up three yards. The Broncos face a 3rd-and-7 from their own 45-yard line, and Orton lines up in the shotgun. He fires a pass to Marshall, who hauls it in at the Oakland 32-yard line — a 23-yard gain.
0:00: Moreno spins past some tacklers for a five-yard gain, which brings the third quarter to a close. For anyone keeping track, through three quarters, Brett Kern has not seen the field other than holding for Prater. The Broncos have not punted all game. At the end of the third, the Broncos’ lead is 20-3, and Denver has a 2nd-and-5 at the Oakland 27.
START OF FOURTH QUARTER: Moreno tries to find the sideline, but he’s brought down by Nnamdi Asomugha for no gain on second down. There’s a flag on the play — holding on Daniel Graham.
Q4 14:56: It’s now 2nd-and-15 at the Oakland 37-yard line for the Broncos. Orton drops back and finds Graham for a bubble screen, and he follows a posse of blockers for a 24-yard gain and a first down at the 13-yard line.
Q4 13:50: Buckhalter takes a toss to the left side and picks up seven yards on first down. On second down, it’s Moreno in the backfield. He takes the pitch from Orton and picks up two yards on the right side of the line. It’s now 3rd-and-1 for the Broncos at the Oakland 4-yard line. Tony Scheffler goes in motion, and Moreno takes the pitch to the left side — he’s stopped for a loss of two by Tyvon Branch, bringing up fourth down.
12:05: Prater is in for a 24-yard attempt, and the field goal is good. The Broncos now lead the Raiders, 23-3. It was an 88-yard scoring drive.
Broncos 23, Raiders 3
Q4 11:57: Prater’s kickoff is downed for another touchback. The Raiders take over at their own 20-yard line.
INJURY UPDATE: Ryan Harris has a shoulder injury and his return is questionable.
Q4 11:53: Russell’s pass on first down is incomplete and the crowd is really getting after the Raiders offense. Bush catches a screen pass from Russell on second down and is brought down by Jack Williams — there’s a flag on the play, however. The call is pass interference on the offense, as Louis Murphy was downfield blocking a little too early. There’s a healthy mix of boos and chanting from the crowd.
Q4 11:18: Darrell Reid brings down Russell for a sack on the ensuing play, but a flag for illegal hands to the face on the Broncos negates the play and gives the Raiders a first down at their own 15-yard line.
Q4 10:54: Fouls by both teams — holding on the Raiders and a personal foul for roughing the passer on the Broncos — essentially means a re-do on first down, though the ball is at the Raider 11-yard line. On the ensuing play, Bush is stopped after a yard by Woodyard and Reid, and the Oakland crowd continues to boo.
Q4 10:09: Bush picks up two more yards before being slowed by Vonnie Holliday and taken down by Robert Ayers. On third down, Dumervil bursts through the line for another sack. It’s a loss of 10 for the Raiders, and Shane Lechler is in to punt from the back of his own end zone. Royal is back to return at about his own 45-yard line — but Lechler’s punt is short and rolls out of bounds at the Oakland 49-yard line.
Q4 9:11: The Broncos offense is back on the field, and on first down Orton hands off to Moreno. The rookie fights his way forward for a yard. On 2nd-and-9, Orton drops back and fires downfield over the head of Royal for an incompletion, setting up third down. On the next play, Orton takes the snap in the shotgun and tries to find Gaffney at the first down marker, but the pass falls incomplete.
Q4 8:22: Kern makes his first appearance of the game midway through the fourth quarter. His punt bounces at about the two-yard line, but goes into the end zone for a touchback. It will be 1st-and-10 for the Raiders at the 20-yard line.
Q4 8:13: Buckhalter has passed the century mark for the fifth time in his career — he sits at 102 yards rushing at the moment. Moreno is right behind him with 90 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Q4 8:09: Louis Murphy’s dropped pass on first down brings more boos from the crowd that’s left in Oakland. On second down, Russell takes the snap in the shotgun. He fires over the head of his intended receiver out of bounds. There’s a flag on the play, however — holding on the Raiders. That penalty is declined, so it’s 3rd-and-10 for the Raiders at their own 20-yard line. Russell is in the shotgun again, and he buys a little time in the pocket but fires incomplete to the right sideline. Lechler is back in to punt, and Royal is again back to receive.
Q4 7:44: Lechler’s punt flies 54 yards, but Royal finds some room and follows his blockers to take the ball back to the Denver 44-yard line — a 17-yard return.
Q4 7:43: Buckhalter takes the first-down carry and pushes the pile forward for a five-yard gain. On second down, Buckhalter is dropped by Seymour after a gain of one. As the clock continues to run, Moreno takes the carry for no gain. Looks like Tyler Polumbus is in on the offensive line at right tackle in Harris’ stead.
5:35: Kern makes his second punt of the game, and it bounces straight in the air at the 19-yard line. Johnnie Lee Higgins snags it off the bounce and returns it for nine yards. The Raiders have a first down at their own 24-yard line.
Q4 5:28: Russell keeps the ball after no one came open downfield, and picks up 15 yards on a run. After a false start penalty on the ensuing play, Russell tries to take off again, but is brought down by Dumervil after a gain of six. After a gain of eight on second down by Justin Fargas, Woodyard’s pressure in the backfield causes Russell to quickly throw a pass to Fargas, who is tackled immediately by D.J. Williams, bringing up fourth down. Oakland goes for it on fourth, but the Broncos take over on downs after D.J. Williams once again takes down Fargas for no gain on a quick pass from Russell.
Q4 2:35: After a run by LaMont Jordan picks up two yards and keeps the clock running on first down, Jordan takes another carry for a gain of five on second down. That takes us to the two-minute warning.
TWO MINUTE WARNING: The Broncos have a 3rd-and-3 on the other side of the break, and lead the Raiders 23-3.
2:00: Jordan takes the carry on third down up the middle — but is stopped for no gain. Oakland calls its second timeout of the half to stop the clock.
1:52: Correction, Jordan’s carry went for two yards, setting up 4th-and-1. The Broncos elect to go for it on fourth down, and Orton drops back and fires to Marshall, who brings it in past Asomugha for a 17-yard gain, picking up a first down and keeping the clock running.
0:30: Orton takes a knee to bring the game to a close. The final score of the game is Denver 23, Oakland 3. The Broncos are now 3-0.
-Gray Caldwell
Tags: Oakland Raiders, Second Half, Week 3
I agre with you kc1 I just think that it is also a league where you are only as good as your last game so people can go ahead and celebrate the wins. If the losses come, I say bemoan them too. This site is leans more to a bias where everyone is super happy and somewhat unrealistic, and the DP everyone is down in the dumps. I just think a happy medium is necessary. But I agee McDaniels has made our offense worse and Nolan has made our defense better. I keep saying as long a s we can start at the oother team’s 20, we are an efficient offense.