The Raiders are officially in the win column.
Las Vegas held Denver’s offense in check on Sunday, defeating the Broncos 32-23 for the club’s first victory of the season.
The Broncos made it close in the fourth quarter when the offense erased first-and-30 in part with a 55-yard pass from quarterback Russell Wilson to receiver KJ Hamler. That set up Wilson’s 3-yard touchdown run that made the score 25-23, Las Vegas.
But the Raiders used a strong ensuing drive to put the team in position to win. Quarterback Derek Carr kept the possession going with a 9-yard scramble on third-and-6. Then on third-and-2 from Denver’s 29, rookie running back Zamir White took a pitch 22 yards down to Denver’s 7-yard line.
Running back Josh Jacobs scored his second touchdown from there, putting Las Vegas up by the winning margin of 32-23.
Jacobs recorded a career-high 144 yards rushing on 28 carries. His longest run of the day was 43 yards. He also scored from 10-yards out in the second quarter.
But Las Vegas’ defense was also a significant part of the victory, as the unit tightened up in the second half. Denver punted on its first four possessions after the break. Three of the drives ended in three-and-out.
Denver turned it over on downs after just four plays for its final possession.
Wilson finished 17-of-25 for 237 yards with a pair of TDs. Jerry Jeudy had four catches for 53 yards with a touchdown. Courtland Sutton had five catches for 52 yards with a score.
But the team may have a significant injury at running back with Javonte Williams. He left the game with a knee injury and was quickly ruled out. Melvin Gordon had a first-half fumble that was returned for a touchdown, which limited his snaps for the rest of the game. The team turned to Mike Boone, who couldn’t handle Wilson’s last pass of the game as it fell incomplete.
The win represents the first victory for Josh McDaniels as Las Vegas’ head coach — and it comes over the team he coached from 2009-2010.
At 1-3, the Raiders will travel to Kansas City next week to play the Chiefs on Monday night.
The 2-2 Broncos will have a quick turnaround, as they’ll host the 1-2-1 Colts on Thursday in Week Five.