The Broncos pass rush too much for the Raiders in the defensive struggle

DENVER — It wasn’t a technicality, but the Denver Broncos earned their seventh straight victory, outscoring the Las Vegas Raiders 10-7 in a defensive tussle at Empower Field at Mile High.

The Broncos remained atop the AFC West thanks to a defense that sacked Raiders quarterback Geno Smith six times and held Las Vegas to just 10th place. Bo Nix hit Troy Franklin for a Denver touchdown, while rookie Ashton Jeanty’s touchdown was the Raiders’ only score. Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson missed a 48-yard field goal with 4:26 left.

Here is the most important thing to know from Thursday night for both teams:

The Broncos continue to test the limits of one of the league’s best defenses week after week. Thursday night was no exception. The Broncos overcame their migraine-inducing struggles on offense and in the punt to survive and achieve victory.

The Broncos improved to 8-2 and won their seventh straight game for the first time since 2015, but they didn’t make it easy. They didn’t get their first down on offense until just over five minutes remained in the first half and didn’t score until the game was tied 7-7 with 2:41 remaining in the first half. The Broncos’ offense had seven threes and an eighth possession that ended in an interception.

But other than a 41-yard touchdown run on Las Vegas’ second possession of the game, when the Raiders inherited the ball in Bronco territory after a 30-yard punt return by rookie Jeremy Crawshaw, the Broncos’ defense was on lock down. She held the Raiders to 186 yards and had six sacks (five in the first half) to set up an AFC West showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs a week from Sunday.

What to do with QB performance: The Knicks looked unsettled early, as their first three downs of the game included a sack and a foul by tight end Evan Engram on a three-and-out. But unlike previous weeks, he could never find his balance. It certainly wasn’t helped by any of the Broncos’ field position struggles through much of the first half — three of Denver’s first four possessions of the game started at the 2, 20 and 1-yard lines, respectively — but 43 of their 101 first-half receiving yards came on one completion to rookie Pat Bryant. The Knicks threw two interceptions to Q Blue Kelly, one on a sack in the second quarter and another on a tipped pass in the fourth quarter. He finished 16 of 28 for 150 yards with a touchdown and two picks.

The biggest flaw in the game plan: Broncos coach Sean Payton talks a lot about “sequencing” when discussing how he approaches plays, but the Broncos continue to struggle to find a rhythm in the first half, especially when it comes to running the ball. The Broncos had six rushing attempts in the first half and didn’t commit to much of it until the third quarter. However, when faced with a third-and-1 in the third quarter, Payton elected to have wide receiver Courtland Sutton attempt to pass the ball — and was sacked — instead of running a short touchdown run. Wil Lutz missed a 59-yard field goal attempt on the next play.

Direction to watch: The Broncos are searching for a record that has stood since 1984. With six more sacks Thursday, the Broncos have 46 sacks after 10 games. The single-season record, set by the Chicago Bears in 1984, is 72. The 46 sacks after 10 games is the most since the New Orleans Saints had 44 sacks after 10 games in 2000. –Jeff Legwold

Next game: vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, Nov. 16, 4:25 p.m. ET)

The Raiders rookie’s growing pains were evident Thursday. Las Vegas gave first-year wide receivers Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. They extended playing time after trading Jacoby Myers on Tuesday, and failed to capitalize on the moment.

Penalties on both players negated big plays by Las Vegas. A holding call on Bech cleared up a 32-yard first-half touchdown run by rookie running back Ashton Genty. Meanwhile, Tre Tucker’s 31-yard touchdown catch on fourth down was erased due to offensive pass interference on Thornton.

Genty even dropped two passes, one of which led to an interception on the third. Las Vegas’ defense had its best performance of the season, holding the Broncos to a team-high 220 yards. However, the unit’s performance was not sufficient to overcome the youth’s mistakes.

What to do with QB performance: Smith’s performance was by no means pretty, but he gave his team a fighting chance. He completed 16 of 26 passes for 143 yards and an interception. It didn’t help that Smith faced pressure throughout the game – he was sacked six times and pressured 13 times. Despite playing with the quad injury he suffered in the second half, Smith was able to put his team in a position to at least tie the game. However, the Raiders were unable to capitalize, as Carlson missed the game-tying field goal.

turning point: The Raiders’ bad luck continued in the third quarter. AJ Cole’s layup attempt from deep in Raiders territory was blocked by Broncos safety JL Skinner. The pass went off Skinner’s facemask, with the Broncos recovering at the Las Vegas 12-yard line. Prime field position allowed Denver to convert a go-ahead field goal to take a 10-7 lead.

Statistics to know: With another interception on Monday, Smith’s 12 interceptions are the most by a Raiders quarterback in the first nine games of a season since Kerry Collins had 12 through nine games in 2004, according to ESPN research. –Ryan McFadden

Next game: vs. Dallas Cowboys (Monday, November 17, 8:15 p.m. ET)