The Oakland Raiders returned to the Oakland Coliseum with a lot on the line. Against the Denver Broncos, the victor would be crowned sole possession of first place in the AFC West. Head Coach Jack Del Rio has changed the culture within the organization, as the team understood the importance of a victory against their divisional opponent in the Denver Broncos.
Ken Norton Jr. and his defensive unit came to play, as they kept the damage at a minimum at all times. Aside from a play-action pass that resulted in a touchdown and a botched touchdown play at the end of the game, the Raiders kept the damage at a minimum and kept the scoring in chunks of three.
Del Rio guided the team to a 30-20 victory over their AFC West rival, with the Raiders now owning a one-game lead in the division heading into their bye week. Quarterback Derek Carr managed the game rather well, while running back Latavius Murray secured three different one-yard touchdowns.
The team has fully embraced the “just win, baby” attitude that former owner Al Davis reiterated on a constant basis. Throughout the different press conferences, each teammate has voiced that winning is all that matters to this team.
During his post game conference, Del Rio stated that the team understands their significance and is growing accustomed to success, via Raiders.com:
“We’re growing to expect success now, I think,” Del Rio said. “We know we’re a good team. We focus really hard on our preparation throughout the week. The guys were really on point, like they have been each week and so the process of preparing to play well is critical. That’s where we’ve been able to hone in and make improvements and get some of the details down and then come out and put together good performances.”
The crowd at the Oakland Coliseum was alive and well during the game, with the noise even carrying over into the studio booth for the Sunday Night Football telecast.
After beginning the season 5-0 on the road, the Raiders now evened their home record at 2-2. Del Rio also commended the crowd at the home game, which played a fantastic role in cheering on the team:
“The crowd was terrific. It was electric. The Raider nation showed up and I’m so pleased to deliver the kind of performance they deserve. We gave them a great performance. We were well prepared and we were physical, tough and we were smart.”
The Raiders now enter a bye week with sole possession of first place, attempting to rest their roster and come out as healthy as possible.
During the bye week, Del Rio also stated he wants his team to continue to work on their struggles, to tighten up any lose ends moving forward after the halfway mark of the season.
Once the recovery week is completed, the Raiders face a Week 11 matchup on Monday Night Football, against the Houston Texans.
