The Raiders’ prolonged slide continued on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium when they lost their seventh consecutive game, this time to their AFC West rival, the Broncos.
Coach Antonio Pierce saw his team fight hard until the end, and even though it wasn’t enough for a win, some players had good days despite the defeat. Defensive end Maxx Crosby received the best grade on the team from Pro Football Focus this week, earning an “A” with his 90.1 score.
The highest-graded Raiders in Week 12 vs the Broncos:
Maxx Crosby – 90.1
Jordan Meredith – 81.0
Dylan Parham – 78.9
Kolton Miller – 77.7
— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) November 25, 2024
Crosby didn’t record a quarterback sack but had three tackles for loss, including two in a row late in the game. They set up a third-and-15 play the Broncos couldn’t convert, forcing a field goal attempt.
Curiously, the rest of the players on PFF’s list are offensive linemen, led by guard Jordan Meredith. The Raiders offensive line has struggled to create open lanes for running backs this season and Las Vegas had just 69 rushing yards.
But Raiders running backs had just 13 carries total compared to 53 pass attempts for Las Vegas. That’s a huge disparity, and the lack of balance makes it tougher to block overall. Despite five QB sacks surrendered vs. Denver, this group had perhaps its best game of the year.
Missing from this list is rookie tight end Brock Bowers. The Broncos slowed him significantly after he had a huge game the week before against the Dolphins. Look for him to rebound on Friday against the Chiefs, regardless of who plays quarterback for Las Vegas.