Photo credit: @Raiders
By Jeremy Kahn
Things were looking fantastic for the first 59:54, but it was the last six seconds of the game that cost the Oakland Raiders the game.
Brandon McManus kicked a 36-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in the game, as the Denver Broncos came back from a 12-point second half deficit to defeat the Raiders 20-19 at Broncos Stadium at Sports Authority Field on Sunday.
Case Keenum, who is in his first year with the Broncos already knows too well about miracle finishes, as he led the “Minnesota Miracle,” where the Vikings defeated the New Orleans Saints in the waning seconds of the NFC Divisional Playoff Game.
Keenum and the Broncos got the ball on their 20-yard line with no timeouts remaining and 1:58 remaining in the game, and led down the field.
After a holding penalty pushed them back, Keenum got going on that final drive, as he found Emmanuel Sanders for 21 yards and then Jake Butt for an additional 14 yards.
Keenum then found out Jon Heuerman for four yards, and then the big play came when Keenum found Tim Patrick for 26 yards to get them down to the Raiders 18-yard line, setting up McManus for the eventual game-winning field goal.
Derek Carr got the ball back, and he completed a pass to Amari Cooper, but Cooper was unable to get away and stepped out of bounds; however, the clock ran out and the game was over.
Carr bounced back from an off night in the opener, as he went 29-for32 for 281 yards and a touchdown on the afternoon.
Amari Cooper, who was held to just four catches in the season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, caught 10 passes for 116 yards.
Marshawn Lynch was the leading ground gainer for the Raiders, as he carried the ball 18 times for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Lynch’s touchdown gave the Raiders an early 12-0 lead, but Mike Nugent’s extra point was blocked and that ended up being huge in the end of the game for the Raiders.
Nugent gave the Raiders on the board on their first series, as he kicked a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter He then kicked a 46-yard field goal in the second quarter, and then Lynch scored on a one-yard run.
The Broncos finally got on the board in the third quarter, as Royce Freeman scored on a one-yard run and after Carr found Seth Roberts for a 20-yard touchdown pass, the Broncos defense never allowed the Raiders to score again.
McManus got the Broncos within nine, as he kicked a 39-yard field goal and then Keenum narrowed the Raiders lead down to just two, when scored on a one-yard run with under six minutes remaining in the game.
Unfortunately, the Raiders were not able to run out the clock and the Broncos got the ball back and McManus kicked the game-winning field goal that sent the Raiders to an 0-2 record on the season.
NOTES: When the game began in Denver, the temperature was 92 degrees, the highest temperature at the start of a game since the Broncos were founded in 1960. It beat the old record by one degree from a game against the Seattle Seahawks on September 19, 2010.
Former Raiders offensive lineman Jared Veldheer was forced to leave the game for the Broncos in the second half after suffering a concussion.
UP NEXT: Still looking for their first win of the season, the Raiders stay on the road, as they will head to Miami to face the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on September 23 at 10:10 am PDT.

