Raiders Have Themselves to Blame for Loss : Mistakes Help Broncos Win at Coliseum

The Raiders are probably out of contention in the AFC West, and they have only themselves to blame.

Denver took advantage of numerous Raider mistakes Sunday to win a 21-10 decision, dropping Los Angeles three games behind the division-leading Broncos.

The Broncos won despite getting only 11 first downs to 25 for the Raiders and accumulating just 246 yards in total offense to 407 yards for Los Angeles.

“It was a great game to win,” Denver Coach Dan Reeves said. “We made a lot of big plays. They moved the ball, but couldn’t get it into the end zone.”

Mike Harden returned an interception of a Marc Wilson pass 40 yards for the clinching score with 1 minute 49 seconds remaining as the Broncos raised their record to 8-1, tied for the best in the NFL.

“Mike Harden’s play, no question, was the biggest play, and he’s been playing super,” Reeves said. “There may be some defensive backs who are playing better, but I haven’t seen them.”

Said Harden: “We had a coverage designed for what we expected them to do. They had receivers crossing on us and I don’t think that Wilson saw me standing there.”

In addition to Harden’s big play, the Broncos scored on an eight-yard run by Steve Sewell in the second quarter and a three-yard pass from Elway to Sammy Winder in the third period.

The Raiders, who had a five-game winning streak snapped and fell to 5-4, turned the ball over six times, five of them in Denver territory.

“No question, it’s a disappointment to lose this game,” Coach Tom Flores of the Raiders said. “We worked hard and fought to get to this position where we had a chance to do something about the division race and we just couldn’t get it done today.

“We had our opportunities. We had some turnovers that hurt us.”

The only Raider points were scored on a 38-yard field goal by Chris Bahr in the first period and a 20-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Jessie Hester with 3:26 left to play.

The Wilson-to-Hester pass made it 14-10, and the Raiders then had a chance to go ahead, getting the ball at their 26-yard line with 2:21 to go. But Harden spoiled their opportunity with his interception and return.

The loss may have ended the Raiders’ hopes of repeating as AFC West champions. They’re three games behind Denver with seven left to play and will lose out to the Broncos if the teams finish in a tie, because Denver swept its season series with them. Head-to-head competition is the first tie-breaker.

“I guess it’s impossible,” cornerback Lester Hayes of the Raiders said when asked about his team’s chances of overhauling Denver. “As long as John (Elway) stays healthy, it’s academic.”

Four of the Raiders’ turnovers in Denver territory came in the first half--two of them on fumbles, the other two interceptions.

Then early in the fourth quarter, the Raiders had the ball in a second-and-goal situation at the Denver two. But two sacks of Wilson pushed them back before Simon Fletcher blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt by Bahr.

Finally, Rick Dennison intercepted a Wilson pass deep in Denver territory in the final minute.

Elway passed only 12 times in the game and completed 11 of them for 141 yards. Wilson was 25 of 47 for 367 yards with 4 interceptions.

The game was played before a crowd of 90,153 at the Coliseum.

Bahr’s field goal, which came with 3:19 remaining in the first quarter, was set up by Stacey Toran’s recovery of a fumble by Gerald Willhite at the Los Angeles 46.

Sewell’s touchdown run came with 2:06 left before halftime and put the Broncos ahead for good. Denver drove 80 yards in eight plays for the score. Big play of the drive was the 53-yard pass from Elway to Mark Jackson on a third-and-six situation at the Raider 11.

Denver got only three first downs in the first half and all came on its scoring drive.

The Broncos got their second touchdown on the Elway to Winder pass with 3:31 left in the third quarter. The play capped a 72-yard, eight-play drive.

The Raiders began their turnover binge on their first possession. After Wilson threw a 43-yard pass to Rod Barksdale on the game’s first scrimmage play to put the ball at the Denver 36-yard line, running back Marcus Allen fumbled and Greg Kragen of the Broncos recovered.

On their next possession, the Raiders got to the Denver 39. On a third-and-four play, a pass by Wilson was intercepted by Harden at the Broncos’ 24.

The Raiders drove from theirs own 22-yard line to the Denver 14 before Dennis Smith intercepted a pass by Wilson in the Broncos’ end zone with 10:33 left in the first half.

With 35 seconds to go in the half and the Raiders at Denver’s 26, Wilson fumbled a snap from center and Karl Mecklenburg recovered for the Broncos.

The Denver victory means that the Broncos-Raiders series has again been swept. There hasn’t been a split in this series since 1977--the Broncos have swept in 1978, 1981, 1984 and 1986 while the Raiders swept in 1979, 1980, 1983 and 1985. The teams met only once in the strike-interrupted 1982 season with the Raiders winning.

The Raiders played without All-Pro defensive end Howie Long, who has a strained hamstring. Defensive end Rulon Jones of the Broncos suffered a strained left knee in the first period and played very little after that. He didn’t play at all in the second half.

Allen gained 71 yards in 22 carries. Winder led all rushers with 83 yards in 21 carries. Los Angeles tight end Todd Christensen had 11 receptions for 158 yards.