Raiders-Broncos: Oakland Avenges Week One Loss, 31-10

A surprising thing happened during Week 12 in Denver for the Oakland Raiders. Going with the trend of the weekend, away teams outscored the home teams 425-332. The team that was expected to lose by 9.5 points appeared to wake up so to speak. The Raiders played hard and were determined to beat the Broncos. Oakland put together a complete total team effort and beat the Broncos in all three phases of the game. The score was knotted at three a piece when Johnnie Lee Higgins fielded a punt in the second quarter, made a few moves, danced down the sidelines, and was untouched by human hands on an 89-yard touchdown return, his second in two weeks. Despite the fact that both teams total yardage was almost identical, 318 yards for the Raiders and 319 yards for the Broncos, Oakland averaged six yards per offensive play. The Raiders played to their strength, committed to the running game as evidenced by calling 41 running plays with Justin Fargas as the focal point. All three of the ... (link)