2024 Week 5, Raiders 18, Broncos 34
The Raiders opened the game with a 57-yard TD thanks to Brock Bowers. Gardner Minshew underthrew Bowers and he made an acrobatic catch, turned upfield, and scored on his own volition. After that score, this game was all Denver, all game. The Broncos returned a pick-six for nearly 100 yards and that was the end of the game. Vegas was dead after that.
Denver (3-2) are no winners of three straight. They are a wide receiver away from being a playoff team and signing AT Perry and getting DeVaughn Vele into the lineup might be enough to swing the needle.
Vegas fell to (2-3) and this team is now on life-support. This whole organization is dysfunctional and it’s a bad team that will look even worse with the Chargers and Broncos on the rise.
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QB Report:
- Every game Bo Nix (19/27 for 206 yards, 2 TDs, 8 rushes for 9 yards, 1 TD) gets better, it’s fun to watch his development as the season wears on. It’s like CJ Stroud last year just with lesser numbers. Bo played a role in 3 scores this game and pulled it off with one of the worst receiving cores in the league… Vegas is among that bottom-feeder group. Hopefully AT Perry helps prop up this group but it could be a few weeks before he sees any playing time.
- Aidan O’Connell (10/20 for 94 yards, 1 INT) was named the starter for Week 6. I think AOC is a slight upgrade from Minshew but Davante Adams is not going to play. AOC doesn’t have a chance of succeeding in this offense… if you can even call it that.
RB Report:
- Javonte Williams (13-61-0, 5 catches for 50 yards) has become the Broncos' top receiving threat. 4+ catches in 3 of their last 4 games and has nearly hit 50 yards in two of those games. Nix doesn’t have a reliable pass catcher so Javonte is his solution… now if only Vele and Perry can get some work.
- Alexander Mattison (15-38-0, 2 catches for 23 yards) is actually looking good which pains me to say, I’ve always thought he was overrated because he would always have one random 20+ point fantasy week every year. Last year proved me right, this year he’s flipping the script… except the Raiders line couldn’t block for a Texas high school team so Mattison and Zamir White (DNP) have nowhere to run.
WR/TE Report:
- With Davante sitting there’s only one place the Raiders can go, and that’s to Brock Bowers (8-97-1/12). Attacking Denver with Brock was the right move by LV, staying away from their two ace corners. If Adams gets moved or sits out the rest of the season Bowers will end the year as TE1.
- Jakobi Myers (6-72-0/9) was the next look behind Bowers but he got hurt so it’s now Tre Tucker (2-18-0/5) season again. Both Minshew and AOC seemingly ignored him in this contest.
- After Javonte Williams, Nix throws the ball to Courtland Sutton (2-32-0/5), but he’s not great at football anymore. Sutton has the best hands on the team and is a veteran so Nix works with him the best. The Broncos rookie WR Troy Franklin (1-20-0/2) dropped a 45-yard TD pass that Nix threw about 60 yards and dropped it in a bucket for Franklin. A lot of rookies will drop their first TD pass and on one where you have that much time to think about it as the ball is coming, how can you blame him?
D/ST Report:
- Denver LB Justin Strnad (9 tackles, 1 TFL) has been a perennial special teamer but injuries have forced him into the starting lineup. Strnad is having a mid-career breakout averaging 6.5 tackles and 1.5 TFLs in his two starts. Surprisingly I had never heard of Strnad until last week.
image source: (AP Photo/Bart Young)