Jon Gruden was clearly holding the Raiders back before firing

Oct 17, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) scrambles with the ball in the first half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) scrambles with the ball in the first half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Raiders beat down the Broncos and prove they are better off without Jon Gruden.

Despite the media circus surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders this week, they went into Denver and took care of business against the Broncos. A 34-24 victory, the Raiders looked better than they have looked in some time.

Derek Carr grabbed 341 yards through the air with two touchdowns, while Josh Jacobs put together 53 on the ground with a touchdown. Zero turnovers, 8.2 yards per play, 11.2 yards per pass, and 426 total yards made the offense look unstoppable.

The Raiders defense got in on the action too. Forcing four turnovers, grabbing five sacks, and keeping the Broncos out of this game. The score implies a closer game than was actually played, and even the score does not look close.

This is statistically a better performance than the Raiders have had all season. Up until this game, Vegas had only forced three turnovers total. They were only averaging 5.5 yards per play and only 6.8 yards per pass up until this point.

The Raiders never needed Jon Gruden and are better off without him.

Many suspected the Raiders may struggle this week against the Broncos after their head coach, Jon Gruden, resigned in disgrace this Tuesday. With that scandal and the normal media attention of football, many thought the Raiders would be distracted and disorganized going into this game.

However, the silver and black did not just look unphased but were looking better than ever. Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia called a fairly complete game of football and the Raiders players rewarded him with discipline, focus, and very few mistakes, something they rarely were ever able to give Jon Gruden.

With this win over the Broncos, Las Vegas ties the Los Angeles Chargers for first place in the division after the Chargers fell to the Baltimore Ravens. If this team continues to rally around Bisaccia, that number one spot could become theirs, and the Raiders can prove definitely that they are better off now that Gruden is gone.

Next. Broncos look awful after beating three high school teams. dark