Where the Raiders stand in NFL’s AFC playoff race after defense fuels win over Broncos
.JPG "Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby celebrates after sacking Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock during the first half Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021, in Las Vegas.")
UPDATE: With the Miami Dolphins win on Monday night, the Las Vegas Raiders are 10th in the AFC playoffs race. The Dolphins (8-7) slide into the seventh seed, followed by Baltimore Ravens (8-7) and Los Angeles Chargers (8-7).
ORIGINAL STORY: Another close and tough game for the Raiders ... and another win for Las Vegas, which beat the Denver Broncos 17-13 on Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium.
The victory pushed the Raiders (8-7) up to the ninth spot in the AFC playoff race with two weeks remaining on the NFL schedule. Las Vegas closes out the regular season against the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers.
Seven teams in the AFC will make the postseason. The Colts (9-6) and New England Patriots (9-6) sit fifth and sixth, respectively, with the Baltimore Ravens seventh at 8-7. The Chargers (8-7) are eighth based on the head-to-head tiebreaker.
For a few days, at least, the Raiders can enjoy the victory, with much of the credit going to a defense that kept the team in position to win the game.
“Our defense. Really haven’t come up with a word, yet, to describe it,” Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia said. “First and foremost, it was outstanding. It was phenomenal. It was awesome. It was relentless and a competitive effort, down in and down in and down in. Can’t say enough how excited we are about the way the defense played. I think we gave up 18 rushing yards in the entire game. They kept us in it the whole day.”
Entering the game, the Raiders were ranked 25th against the run (112.7 yards per game) and 12th against the pass (225.3). They allowed 18 rushing and 158 total yards against the Broncos, who were ninth and 18th in the NFL, respectively.
“Our mentality is (to go) 1-0” each week, Raiders Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “That is how it’s been the last couple weeks. Just seeing how the guys are responding has been awesome. On the D-line, we just were super locked in on not making mistakes.
“Ever since the Kansas City game we had, we were jumping offsides, having penalties. We just can’t have that. We can’t have penalties this time of the year. We just have to play clean, good football and that is what we did today.”
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Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, who had a 10-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Derek Carr in the second quarter, also gave credit to the defense. He emphasized how that side of the ball actually has kept Las Vegas in the game not only this week but for much of this season.
“We tried to screw it up a few times for them,” Renfrow said, “but they’ve done a great job of stopping the run, and that is where it starts inside and out. It gives you a lot of confidence you don’t have to be perfect and you know the defense is going to have your back no matter what.
“Great teams find a way to feed off each other and our defense has given us that the last couple weeks, for sure.”
This story was originally published December 26, 2021 at 6:31 PM.
