Criminal offense – A-

The Broncos offense got off to a really rough start but found its breakthrough in the second half. At halftime, Denver had 125 yards, seven first downs and was 1 of 6 on third downs.

When Bo Nix scored a touchdown to Josh Reynolds midway through the fourth quarter to take a 34-10 lead, Denver had 288 yards of offense and had completely taken over the game. Nix threw two touchdowns and rushed for another. Another positive development: Javonte Williams continued to look good. He finished with 111 total yards (61 rushing, 50 receiving) and has now put together back-to-back outings that are suspiciously reminiscent of the version of the powerful running back before his injury.

DEFENSE – A

Leave it to the Broncos’ best player to help a unit get off to an unusually slow start. The Vance Joseph defense was reeling and was in danger of losing 17-3 in the second quarter when Pat Surtain II fended off Gardner Minshew on the goal line and went 100 yards the other way for a touchdown. From then on, Denver’s defense dominated. Riley Moss entered the game in the second half with his first career interception, and the Raiders trailed to 34-10 from the 1:30 mark in the first quarter before scoring again late in the fourth quarter.

SPECIAL TEAMS – A-

Five weeks later, the Broncos’ second leg was finally in full swing. Marvin Mims Jr. had 54 punt return yards, including a 38-yarder that set up a touchdown drive. Tremon Smith also had a big kick return. Placekicker Wil Lutz missed a 59-yard field goal before halftime, but was saved by a Las Vegas penalty. Riley Dixon didn’t have his best day punting, but overall this was another solid performance for a group that has been good all season.

The Broncos even took advantage of a bizarre rule late in the game when Lutz intentionally shot out of bounds from midfield. The penalty results in the ball being placed 25 yards from the kickoff point. So the Las Vegas 25 yard line, better than a touchback.