The Raiders' ongoing slide continued Sunday at Allegiant Stadium as they lost their seventh straight game, this time to their AFC West rival, the Broncos.
Coach Antonio Pierce saw his team fight hard until the end, and even though it wasn't enough to win, some players had good days despite the loss. Defensive lineman Maxx Crosby received the team's highest grade from Pro Football Focus this week, earning an “A” grade of 90.1.
The top-rated Raiders in Week 12 vs. the Broncos:
🥇 Maxx Crosby – 90.1
🥈 Jordan Meredith – 81.0
🥉 Dylan Parham – 78.9
🏅 Kolton Miller – 77.7
🏅 DJ Glaze – 72.0— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders)
Crosby didn't record a quarterback sack but had three including two in a row late in the game. They set up a third-and-15 play that the Broncos couldn't convert, forcing a field goal attempt.
Curiously, the remaining players on PFF's list are offensive linemen, led by guard Jordan Meredith. The Raiders' offensive line struggled to create open lanes for running backs this season, and Las Vegas had just 69 rushing yards.
But the Raiders' running backs had just 13 total carries compared to 53 pass attempts for Las Vegas. That's a huge difference, and the lack of balance makes it harder to block overall. Despite giving up five QB sacks against Denver, this group had perhaps their best game of the year.
Missing from this list is rookie tight end Brock Bowers. The Broncos slowed him down significantly after he had a great game against the Dolphins the week before. Expect him to bounce back Friday against the Chiefs, regardless for Las Vegas.