Broncos at Raiders: 3 things we learned

The Oakland Raiders beat down the Denver Broncos on Sunday night, and at 7-2, are now in first place in the AFC West. Here are three things we learned.

On Sunday night, the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos came into their matchup tied atop the AFC West at 6-2. By the time the final whistle blew, the Raiders had sole possession of first place, after a dominating effort on both sides of the ball. Latavius Murray rushed for over 100 yards and three touchdowns, as the Raiders head into their bye week at 7-2.

For Denver, they were playing short-handed on defense, as Aqib Talib missed his second game in a row. The Broncos failed to establish anything on offense, and looked overmatched by the Raiders on the road. The two teams will meet again on New Year’s Day, in the season finale for both squads.

Here are three things we learned from Sunday night’s game.

1. The Raiders’ offensive line was worth the money

During the offseason, the Raiders made sure they did everything they could to protect their franchise quarterback. The team signed Kelechi Osemele away from the Baltimore Ravens, while inking Donald Penn to a new deal. Those signings ensured that the Raiders would have one of the better offensive lines in all of football, and they showed their dominance on Sunday night.

Oakland has done a nice job protecting Derek Carr this season, as the third-year quarterback is having the best season of his career. However, the running game has not been as good, though they do have three good running backs. Starter Latavius Murray had not gained more than 59 yards in a game this season, but that all changed on Sunday night, as Murray rushed for over 100 yards and three touchdowns.

2. Denver needs help at the running back position

Rookie Devontae Booker may turn out to be a good NFL running back, but he just is not there yet. On Sunday night, the Raiders ate up Booker every time he got the ball, leading to the worst game of his young career. The Broncos have given Booker the keys to the car with C.J. Anderson out for the forseeable future, but he may not be able to carry the load this early in his career.

More on FanSided:

• NFL: 15 Biggest Draft Busts Of All-Time
• NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best Head Coaches Of All-Time
• Top 30 Teams Of The Modern Era

The Broncos did get a nice boost from Kapri Bibbs, who rumbled for a 69-yard touchdown on a screen pass in the fourth quarter. Bibbs is a former practice squad player, and may be able to get some playing time after his decent effort on Sunday. However, going with Booker and Bibbs will not be enough for the Broncos, who are still trying to get Trevor Siemian to play consistent ball at quarterback.

3. The Raiders are for real

Make no mistake about it, the Oakland Raiders are a first place team, and they deserve to be. On Sunday night, the Raiders faced down the team who has dominated the AFC West in recent years, and dominated them on national television. The offensive line looked dominant, the running backs looked great, and the defense finally looks like it starting to jell as a unit.

Next: NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best QB of All-Time

The team added a bunch of new faces this offseason, including Sean Smith, Bruce Irvin, and Osemele. Through the first eight games of the season, Oakland showed some signs of being a legitimate playoff contender, while looking terrible at other times. Their Week 9 victory against Denver should serve as notice to the rest of the league that they are for real, and should make the playoffs for the first time since 2002.