Broncos Create Own Playoff Atmosphere

Nobody could convince the Denver Broncos they had nothing to play for--not with the Oakland Raiders on the other sideline.

Rod Smith caught eight passes, Terrell Davis rushed for 89 yards and the Denver defense held on in the fourth quarter as the Broncos delivered another blow to their rivals’ playoff plans with a 23-17 victory over Oakland on Sunday.

The Broncos (8-7) are eliminated from playoff contention, but it didn’t show on the field or in the stands at the final home game of their first season at Invesco Field.

Only about 5,000 fans didn’t use their tickets, and the stadium shook furiously in the final minutes as the defense made four straight stops. The fans were rewarded by a gutsy, last-second win for the Broncos over the team that’s taken their former perch atop the AFC West.

“A lot of people said we didn’t have anything to play for,” said Smith, who set the franchise record for receptions and tied the record for touchdowns. “If you think you have nothing to play for, then play for the guy next to you. If we had done that all year, we would be preparing for the playoffs.”

After Jason Elam kicked a 42-yard field goal with 1:32 left, the Raiders moved to the Denver 17, but Rich Gannon threw two incompletions to the end zone before Kenoy Kennedy intercepted Gannon’s fourth-down throw as time expired.

“I had my hands over my eyes,” said Denver Coach Mike Shanahan, who gave his team today off during the postgame locker room celebration. “I told our team that I think they’re trying to kill me.”

The Raiders (10-5) clinched the AFC West title two weeks ago, but they seem to be doing their best to lose a first-round bye with three losses in five weeks of inconsistent play.

The Raiders snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Broncos last month, but they haven’t won in Denver since 1994. Despite their dismal December, the Raiders still will get a bye if they beat the New York Jets at home next week and New England beats Carolina (1-14).

“We’ve just got to go back and clean up everything,” said Jerry Rice, who made all eight of his catches for 99 yards in the first half.

“We’ve got to start from the bottom and look at ourselves. If we don’t get that bye week, fine--as long as we clean up our mistakes.”