Las Vegas Raiders vs Denver Broncos Match Player Stats (Nov 6, 2025)

Denver squeezed past Las Vegas 10 to 7 on November 6 at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver’s seventh straight win despite another offensive meltdown. Ashton Jeanty punched in a 4 yard touchdown in the first quarter for the Raiders’ only score. Troy Franklin hauled in a 7 yard pass from Bo Nix for Denver’s lone offensive touchdown. Kyu Blu Kelly picked off Bo Nix twice in his breakout performance, yet the Raiders converted neither turnover into points. The game featured more penalties (22) than offensive touchdowns (2).

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Game Summary

Location: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver
Attendance: 74,692
Weather: 60 degrees, 10 mph wind, outdoors

The Broncos improved to 8 and 2 while Las Vegas fell to 2 and 7. Both teams combined for just 408 total yards and 20 first downs on a windy Thursday night that featured ugly offense and dominant defense.

Quarterbacks Under Siege

Wind and relentless pass rush made this night brutal for both signal callers. Bo Nix completed just 16 of 28 passes for 150 yards with one touchdown and two crushing interceptions. His 54.2 passer rating was a season low. The home crowd booed repeatedly as Denver managed seven three and outs in 13 possessions.

Nix acknowledged postgame the offense needs to “find some juice somewhere” after scoring just 10 points against a 2 and 7 opponent.

J.K. Dobbins didn’t mince words about the offensive struggles: “The defense is winning us the games, and we’re not helping them. I feel bad the way we play on offense and the way they play on defense because they’re doing so great and we’re doing so bad.”

Geno Smith had it worse. He took six sacks behind a patchwork offensive line after both starting guards left with injuries. Jackson Powers Johnson hurt his left leg and didn’t return. Dylan Parham sprained his ankle. Will Putnam and Alex Cappa filled in. The reshuffled interior couldn’t handle Denver’s defensive line games, where linemen cross paths and loop around each other to confuse blocking assignments.

Smith completed 61.5 percent of his passes yet averaged just 5.5 yards per attempt. He rarely pushed the ball downfield in the wind. The low point arrived in the fourth quarter when Nik Bonitto tripped him on a scramble and Malcolm Roach landed on him, causing a quad contusion. Smith limped to the blue tent but returned, completing 4 of 4 on the next drive before stiffening up. On the Raiders’ final meaningful possession, he was limited to handoffs and short throws.

Running Into Walls

Neither running back found much room. Zach Allen and Malcolm Roach stuffed Jeanty up the middle while Denver’s linebackers Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw shot gaps. Las Vegas couldn’t move Denver’s front. The Broncos faced similar issues against Jeremy Chinn and Devin White in the box.

Jeanty scored on a 4 yard run up the middle on the opening drive. The 8 play, 41 yard march was efficient and quick. That was his only real success. He carried 19 times total and averaged just 3.2 yards as Denver’s interior defenders clogged running lanes.

The biggest mistake happened in the third quarter. A short pass bounced off his hands and hung in the air. Dondrea Tillman intercepted it at the Denver 44, killing a Raiders drive that had reached midfield. After Kyu Blu Kelly’s second interception later gave Las Vegas the ball at the Denver 45 with 7:10 left and a chance to tie or win, they ran Jeanty four straight times for 15 yards, then went nowhere when they finally tried to pass.

Dobbins carried 18 times for 77 yards, enough to let Denver control the clock late. His 13 yard run in the second quarter was the game’s longest rush. The Broncos leaned on him after Kelly’s second pick, ran twice, then Nix threw to Franklin for 18 yards on third and one to pick up a first down and drain Las Vegas’ timeouts.

Passing Game Breakdown

Both quarterbacks struggled with accuracy in the wind, particularly on anything more than 15 yards downfield.

Franklin caught the only receiving touchdown, a 7 yard slant from Nix that tied the score at 7 in the second quarter. The connection happened on second and goal after Pat Bryant’s 43 yard catch and run put Denver at the 5. Franklin had five catches on nine targets. He also dropped a pass in the end zone that deflected into Kyu Blu Kelly’s hands for an interception just before halftime.

Lockett ran short crossing routes and curls underneath, safe options when pressure arrived. He caught five of six targets for 44 yards, his routes designed to beat Denver’s zone coverage in the middle of the field. Brock Bowers returned from injury yet was barely involved, catching just one pass for 31 yards. He clearly wasn’t at full health.

Tucker thought he had a 31 yard touchdown on a deep post in the second quarter. Officials called offensive pass interference on Dont’e Thornton Jr. on fourth and two when Tucker ran past coverage downfield. He had two catches for 28 yards, including a 25 yard gain on a wheel route that was Las Vegas’ longest completion.

Bryant’s 43 yard gain was Denver’s lone explosive play through the air. He caught a quick slant, broke Darien Porter’s tackle attempt, and picked up yards after contact before being hauled down at the Las Vegas 5.

Raiders Defense Battles

Jeremy Chinn ranged across the field from his safety spot and had a team-high 9 tackles. Devin White chipped in 7 tackles and was active in run support. Kyu Blu Kelly’s night defined the Raiders’ defensive effort.

Kelly’s two interceptions were the first of his career. His first arrived just before halftime when Nix threw deep into double coverage at the Las Vegas 10. Kelly jumped the route and came down with it, ending a Broncos threat. His second pick arrived with 7:10 remaining when Troy Franklin’s dropped pass in the end zone bounced into his arms at the Denver 45. That gave the Raiders possession down 3.

Charles Snowden notched a sack and two quarterback hits, won with speed off the edge, and set it well against Denver’s stretch runs to the perimeter. The Raiders held Denver to just 5 of 15 on third downs and created seven three and outs. The offense couldn’t capitalize on any of it.

Broncos Defense Dominates

Denver’s defense has now recorded 46 sacks through 10 games, according to NFL sack leaders statistics, the most by any team in its first 10 games since at least 1990. They added six more on Thursday night and harassed Smith from start to finish.

Bonitto produced eight pressures, 1.5 sacks, and three quarterback hits. He used inside moves and speed to edge to consistently beat tackles on the perimeter. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph disguised blitzes by showing two-deep zone coverage with safeties splitting the field, then dropped ends into coverage while he brought safeties on delayed rushes.

Hufanga came on a safety blitz that ended the Raiders’ best second quarter drive. On fourth and five from the Denver 38, he dropped Smith for a 9 yard sack. That gave Denver possession and killed a potential scoring opportunity. He finished with 9 tackles and was physical against the run.

Singleton matched him with 9 tackles, filled gaps against inside runs, and dropped into short zones. The Broncos limited Las Vegas to just 4 of 15 on third downs and didn’t allow a point after the first quarter. They kept everything in front of them in zone coverage and forced the Raiders to drive the length of the field methodically. Las Vegas couldn’t do it.

The Blocked Punt That Decided Everything

JL Skinner’s blocked punt in the third quarter proved to be the game’s turning point. With Denver trailing 7 and Las Vegas punting from their own 20, Skinner came off the edge and blocked AJ Cole’s punt with his facemask. The ball bounced backward and Denver recovered at the Las Vegas 12.

“I didn’t realize I blocked it with my facemask until I saw my visor and it had the mark of the ball on it,” Skinner said after the game. “A heads up play for sure, a head butt play, honestly, is what I say.”

The Broncos lost 2 yards on three plays after the block. Wil Lutz knocked through a 32 yard field goal to put Denver ahead 10 to 7 with 5 seconds left in the third quarter.

Daniel Carlson had a chance to tie it with 4:30 remaining. He pushed a 48 yard attempt wide right. Pete Carroll didn’t mince words about his kicker’s struggles: “He’s got to kick better. I know it kills him, too. He wants to make every one of those.”

Carlson has had a rough season. His game winning attempt was blocked in Week 4, and he missed an extra point in Week 9’s one point loss. Thursday’s miss might have been the most crushing.

Cole had two punts downed inside the Denver 2 yard line earlier in the game. Those pins put the Broncos deep. The blocked punt was his second of the season and arrived at the most critical moment.

Injuries Shaped The Game

The Raiders lost both starting guards, completely altering their offensive line protection. Jackson Powers Johnson injured his left leg in the first half and didn’t return. Dylan Parham sprained his ankle on a second quarter play. Will Putnam and Alex Cappa stepped in. Neither had taken first team reps in practice that week.

The reshuffled line couldn’t handle Denver’s pressure packages. The Broncos ran stunts and twists up front. Interior linemen looped around edge rushers. The Raiders’ communication broke down repeatedly and left Smith with free runners in his face.

Smith’s quad contusion limited him over the final 10 minutes. After he returned from the blue tent, he completed 4 of 4 on one drive. He struggled to move after that. On the Raiders’ last two possessions, Las Vegas called mostly runs and quick passes to avoid dropbacks.

Denver dealt with injuries too. All Pro guard Quinn Meinerz left in the third quarter with an illness. Star cornerback Pat Surtain II missed his second straight game with a strained pectoral muscle. Safety Tristin McCollum was evaluated for a concussion in the second half.

When Opportunities Arrived, Raiders Couldn’t Finish

Las Vegas forced more turnovers but couldn’t convert them into the points that would have changed the outcome.

Raiders Turnovers:

• Geno Smith interception to Kyu Blu Kelly at Las Vegas 10 (2nd quarter)
• Ashton Jeanty interception to Dondrea Tillman at Denver 44 (3rd quarter)

Broncos Turnovers:

• Bo Nix interception to Kyu Blu Kelly at Las Vegas 36 (2nd quarter)
• Bo Nix interception to Kyu Blu Kelly at Denver 45 (4th quarter)

Kelly’s second interception gave Las Vegas possession at the Denver 45 with 7:10 left, down just 3 points with every chance to tie or win. They ran Jeanty on first down for 6 yards. Then again for 5 yards. Then 3 yards. Then 1 yard. On third and six from the Denver 30, Smith’s pass fell incomplete. Carlson then missed from 48 yards.

Denver got the ball back with 4:30 remaining. Dobbins gained 8 yards. Then 1 yard. On third and one, Nix hit Franklin for 18 yards. Las Vegas burned all three timeouts. Denver ran the clock down to 38 seconds and took two kneel downs inside the Raiders 20.

Penalties Killed Drives All Night

The officials threw flags relentlessly. Both teams committed 11 penalties. That marked just the second game since 1950 where both teams had more penalties than first downs, per Pro Football Reference’s historical database. The only other time happened in 1976 when expansion teams Seattle and Tampa Bay, both 0 and 5, met.

The Raiders had a touchdown wiped out by offensive pass interference on Dont’e Thornton Jr. in the second quarter. A holding penalty on Jack Bech negated a 32 yard Jeanty run that would have put Las Vegas in field goal range in the first quarter.

Denver committed penalties on their kick return and first offensive play to start the second half. A false start put them in first and 15, leading to an immediate three and out. The Broncos had multiple holding penalties negate gains, including one that wiped out a 13 yard Dobbins run.

Sean Payton addressed the lack of execution: “We’ve got to clean up some of the penalties. We’ve got to clean up the execution and that is an ongoing thing that probably never ends.”

The Numbers

Las Vegas averaged just 2.9 yards per play, their worst output of the season. Denver averaged 3.9 yards per snap, ranking 31st among all teams in Week 10. Both offenses were brutally ineffective.

The Broncos became just the third team since 2000 to win despite scoring 10 or fewer points, recording 10 or fewer first downs, and committing two or more turnovers. Teams were 2 and 202 in such games entering Thursday. Denver now sits at 8 and 2 atop the competitive AFC West division standings.

Las Vegas fell to 2 and 7, effectively eliminated from playoff contention. Pete Carroll’s first season in Las Vegas has turned into a rebuilding year. The Raiders need help at multiple positions. More complete NFL statistics and player performance data can be found at Match Player Stats.

Week 11 Update

Both teams have since played their Week 11 matchups. Las Vegas hosted Dallas on Monday Night Football on November 17. Denver hosted Kansas City on November 16 in a crucial division showdown.

JL Skinner’s blocked punt with his facemask decided this game. That one special teams play set up the field goal that put Denver ahead for good. Daniel Carlson’s miss from 48 yards with 4:30 left sealed it. Those two moments separated winner from loser in a game where neither offense could sustain drives. Kyu Blu Kelly’s two interceptions gave Las Vegas the chances. Conservative play calling on both possessions after turnovers left those opportunities wasted. Denver’s defense recorded six sacks and held the Raiders scoreless for three quarters. The Broncos extended their streak to seven, kept first place in the AFC West, and proved that in November football, survival matters more than style.