It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the Denver Broncos improved to 8-2 with a 10-7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season.
Denver went down late in the first quarter after Las Vegas rookie running back Ashton Jeanty scored on a four-yard touchdown run to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead. That score came on a short field after Broncos rookie punter Jeremy Crawshaw had a 30-yard punt following Denver’s opening drive.
The Broncos started the game with four straight punts, and it wasn’t until their fifth possession that the offense picked up a first down, just under six minutes before halftime. Four plays later, quarterback Bo Nix threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to receiver Troy Franklin to tie the game at 7-7, a score that held going into halftime.
That score was set up by Nix’s 43-yard pass to rookie receiver Pat Bryant:
After kicker Wil Lutz missed a 59-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter, Broncos rotational pass rusher Dondrea Tillman picked off a tipped Geno Smith pass and returned it 23 yards to the Raiders’ 33-yard line.
Denver was unable to capitalize on that takeaway and punted the ball back to Las Vegas five plays later. The team’s special teams unit made up for it, blocking a punt on the Raiders’ ensuing possession:
Lutz converted a 32-yard field goal after that block to give the Broncos a 10-7 lead late in the third quarter.
Later, midway through the fourth quarter, Nix threw a pass that bounced off of Franklin and was picked off by Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly at Denver’s 45-yard line. Following that turnover, Las Vegas kicker Daniel Carlson missed a 48-yard field goal attempt with just over four minutes remaining in the game, and the Raiders never got the ball back after that as the Broncos went on to run out the clock.
On the injury front, Denver linebacker Karene Reid and pass rusher Jonah Elliss both suffered hamstring injuries. Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz also left in the third quarter with an illness and he was replaced on the offensive line by Calvin Throckmorton. Meinerz later returned late in the fourth quarter.
After hosting the Raiders on Thursday, the Broncos now have a mini weekend bye before hosting the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High ten days later on Nov. 16 (view Denver’s full schedule).
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
#Broncos #improve #ugly #win #Raiders