It was a slow start, but the Denver Broncos achieved their first victory in Las Vegas and their first sweep in ten years against the Las Vegas Raiders. According to the NFL.com Playoff Picturethe Broncos sit with a two-game lead Miami Dolphins for the seventh and final seed in the AFC, with a 73% chance of making the playoffs.

The Broncos can move up, but they need help.

The Broncos ended up playing a good game against the Raiders, who showed that a lot of struggle throughout the game. Early on, the Broncos played at the level of the Raiders, and the home team won that battle.

Although the Broncos never quite played to the standards they set, which is scary when you look at the results, they did enough to get the win. Some players had a terrible game, but overall it was full of average to above average performances from the Broncos on an individual level.

That said, let’s get to the numbers.

Although there were issues finishing drives in the end zone, the Broncos only punted on four of 11 drives. Nix was sharp with most of his throws, although a few deep shots were poorly placed and there wasn’t enough under one of them.

Nix also had trouble dealing with the early pressure the Raiders applied. Several throws could have easily been picked off, but luckily that wasn’t the case. However, he settled down and had one of his better games of the season, with his mark being the second highest of the season behind only Week 11’s standout performance. Without a running game, Nix proved that the offense could get through him could go and be successful.

Although the Raiders had problems with McLaughlin’s speed and burst at times, his vision left several yards on the field even though he was the best player of the day for the Broncos. Every time Williams touched the ball in this game it was a waste of a down.

As the Broncos enter the home stretch, they need consistency from their backroom, and Williams is the biggest culprit.

Vele and Sutton have shown a lot of trust and chemistry with Bo Nix. When the pocket starts to look questionable, Nix knows he has one of those two in the field ready to make something happen.

Franklin is still limited as a receiver, and it shows during games, but that doesn’t mean he had a bad game. If Josh Reynolds is back, Humphrey will have to stay on the sidelines.

Adkins had a blown block for a big tackle for a loss, but he was decent for the most part. Trautman and Krull had problems all game due to their poor blocking efforts. The Broncos need a legitimate tight end this offseason.

When looking at McGlinchey, it’s worth remembering that penalties aren’t factored into the numbers. He had a solid game outside of penalties.

McGlinchey had some losses against Maxx Crosby, but he held the Raiders’ premier pass rusher to zero sacks, ending his streak against the Broncos. As for Bolles, outside of a handful of plays he was excellent.

John Jenkins on the Raiders defensive line gave Powers and Wattenberg problems for most of the game. His size and strength were problems they both had to solve on their own, and they even had trouble dealing with him when they double-teamed him.

When not tasked with tackling Jenkins, Powers and Wattenberg performed well. Once again, Meinerz is proving to be one of the best guards in the NFL.

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The Broncos were missing Zach Allen, although Franklin-Myers tried to carry the unit. Roach and Jones each made a few appearances, but they struggled throughout the game.

The Broncos’ best defensive lineman was Eyioma Uwazurike, who played 19 snaps (20 are required for a grade), but he should now see the field over Jackson.

Bonitto continues to shine as a pass rusher, while being inconsistent as a run defender. It’s good for him that Cooper has been reliable as a run defender but has fallen short as a pass rusher in recent weeks.

Tillman was solid as a rotation piece, while Elliss had a terrible game, highlighted by a big touchdown play in coverage.

Neither linebacker had a great game, despite their numbers being in plus territory. Barton had a few plays to get his grade back to mid-40s levels, while Strnad got some big plays late to save his grade after a tough three quarters to start the game.

Surtain, Moss and Wallace all had good games, with Moss on his way to his best game of the season before leaving with an injury. McMillian has been a weak spot on defense in recent weeks, with teams attacking him in much the same way.

Opponents have identified this problem on tape and are exploiting it, and McMillian and the Broncos need to see it and do something to fix it. He can be aggressive in coverage and bite on fakes, recovering slower if he goes left instead of right. This is how teams have targeted McMillian: by getting him in the left tackle slot, faking inside and attacking 10-20 yards down the field closer to the boundary.

If the Broncos have both starting safeties, they are that much better on defense. Jones and Locke are reliable defenders when protecting deep or going downhill to make the necessary plays.

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