Broncos up-down drill: Highs and lows for Denver against the Raiders

UP: Melvin Gordon’s costume. The Broncos’ moving back’s game-day enter-the-stadium attire? Napoleon Dynamite, of course. Complete with glasses, wig and ‘Vote For Pedro’ t-shirt made celebrated successful the 2004 movie, Gordon got an aboriginal commencement connected Halloween.

DOWN. Holding down Fant. Noah Fant approached Garett Holds territory Sunday, getting flagged not once, but doubly for holding connected off-tackle moving plays. Throw successful a whiffed artifact successful the archetypal fractional that stopped Javonte Williams from springing a agelong run, and you’ve got a chapeau trick.

UP: Sunday’s uniforms. The Broncos wore bluish jerseys and achromatic trousers for the archetypal clip this year. They should deterioration them each accidental they get — that operation is No. 1 and determination isn’t a adjacent second.

DOWN: Teddy’s heavy throws. Whether it was timing oregon conscionable mediocre accuracy, Broncos backmost Teddy Bridgewater’s heavy throws consistently missed the people Sunday — the worst being an overthrow of receiver Courtland Sutton successful the archetypal fractional that was a nary uncertainty touchdown if thrown well.

UP. Buying early. A extremity of the headdress to the Broncos instrumentality riding a motorized scooter successful an orangish Justin Strnad jersey west-bound connected Colfax Avenue. Way to get successful aboriginal connected immoderate Strnad stock. As for riding a motorized scooter connected Colfax? Go with God, friend.

DOWN: Deep trouble. For the 3rd consecutive game, a backmost took the apical disconnected the Broncos’ vaunted secondary. And this time, it came connected the precise archetypal drive: a 48-yard hookup betwixt Derek Carr and Henry Ruggs that near some Ronald Darby and Justin Simmons successful the dust.

UP: Passing first. The archetypal play of the game? A play-action walk from Teddy Bridgewater to Tim Patrick connected the close bound for 7 yards. A tiny gain, yes. But we’re present for (slightly) unpredictable play-calling from violative coordinator Pat Shurmur.

DOWN: The streak. Finally, the streak is dead. For the archetypal clip successful 24 games, the Broncos scored a touchdown connected their archetypal thrust of the game. Sadly, that was besides their last touchdown thrust until they were down 21 points successful the 4th quarter.

UP: Going for it. The effect wasn’t what the Broncos wanted, but going for it connected fourth-and-1 astatine their ain 37-yard enactment was the close telephone by manager Vic Fangio. Bridgewater conscionable needs to propulsion a amended walk to Eric Saubert. And let’s look it, 9-for-11 connected 4th for the play inactive ain’t bad.

DOWN: No mode A.J. Alexander Johnson checking Hunter Renfrow successful sum is not ideal. Kudos to Johnson for pulling disconnected a sneaky (unflagged) clasp to past different down. If lone helium could’ve gotten a manus connected Kenyan Drake connected his 31-yard instrumentality way touchdown.

UP: Sterns warning. Rookie information Caden Sterns keeps giving Vic Fangio reasons to enactment him connected the tract — similar his thumper of a deed connected Hunter Renfrow coming crossed the mediate precocious successful the 2nd quarter.

DOWN: Noah Fant successful the flat. How galore times does Shurmur request to spot Fant get taken down by the archetypal tackler successful the unfastened tract earlier helium realizes that’s not successful his choky end’s bag? Consider the play-action dump-off for 1 gait successful the 2nd 4th the latest example.

UP: Teddy’s dives. Bridgewater’s chopper tally for a archetypal down successful the archetypal fractional whitethorn not person been artful, but it was effective. As for his 2nd head-first dive adjacent the extremity of the 3rd 4th — the 1 that ended successful a mislaid fumble? We respect the courage, if not the execution.

DOWN: Yellow throw. An authoritative tossing a hanky from 30 yards for a Noah Fant holding punishment precocious successful the 2nd quarter? We tin accept. But the violative walk interference connected Courtland Sutton that took distant a archetypal down a fewer plays later?

UP: Orange sport-coats. The Broncos debuted orangish sport-coats for their Ring of Fame members. We would person went with navy blue, but a bonus is the erstwhile players and coaches tin treble arsenic representatives for the Orange Bowl.

DOWN: Vic’s challenges. If you’re going to situation a telephone down aggregate scores successful the 3rd quarter, you amended beryllium sure, Vic. Otherwise, it’s conscionable a discarded of a timeout — marque that TWO timeouts — that you mightiness request precocious successful the 4th quarter.

UP: Patrick’s DB skills. Receiver Tim Patrick whitethorn beryllium known for his reliable hands, but helium looked similar a coagulated antiaircraft backmost breaking up a sure-fire Trevon Moehrig interception connected the Broncos’ archetypal thrust of the 2nd half.

DOWN: Flex cam. With the objection of 1 fan’s exceptional “sun’s out, guns out” execution — yes, we’re jealous — the Broncos’ “flex cam” gets an Arnold Schwarzenegger-sized thumbs down. As celebrations of vanity go, this 1 is the pits (sometimes literally).

UP: Special treat. What’s that? A affirmative play from the Broncos’ peculiar teams? Sure, the onside footwear betterment came with the crippled already decided precocious successful the 4th quarter. But sometimes, you gotta instrumentality tiny victories wherever you tin get them.