Raiders winners and losers in monumental Week 6 win vs. Broncos

In a sudden shift of fortune, all appears very, very well with the Las Vegas Raiders.

After a week of turmoil due to the surprise resignation of coach Jon Gruden, the Raiders traveled to Denver and beat the Broncos soundly, 34-24. The offense gained yardage in large chunks early and often, and the Las Vegas defense produced a pass rush that kept the Broncos on edge all afternoon, resulting in four turnovers along the way.

Interim coach Rich Bisaccia clearly prepared Las Vegas well, with every player on the Raiders seeming to distill their emotions into turbo fuel for the football field.

As always, some players fared better than others. But looking at the various performances from the Raiders this week, there are no losers (well, almost none) to choose from. Here are this week’s standout players, divided into offense and defense, with due respect to the Bisaccia’s special teams.

The Raiders offense used to be Gruden’s baby. Now, quarterback Derek Carr is fully behind the wheel. His co-piot? Offensive coordinator, Greg Olson. Together, they produced 34 points, Las Vegas’ highest point total this season, including its two overtime wins.

It started early, when the Raiders broke their streak of scoreless first drives, cashing in on a 48-yard touchdown toss from Carr to wide receiver Henry Ruggs III to take a 7-0 lead. And the offense kept churning out big plays and steady gains all game long, ending up with 426 yards on an incredible 8.2 yards per play.

Carr had 341 yards through the air with two touchdowns, earning a 134.4 QB rating. He spread the ball around nicely and apparently didn’t miss Gruden one bit. He even threw a touchdown to one player that was an afterthought heading into Sunday’s game.

Running back Kenyan Drake was supposed to be one of Gruden’s new weapons this season. Instead, Drake waited until Gruden’s departure to put on a show.

After receiving very few touches during the Raiders’ previous two games, Drake scored two touchdowns Sunday, one on a skillful 31-yard connection with Carr near the end of the first half. The play gave the Raiders a 17-7 edge at the break.

He also had an 18-yard run in the second half that handed Las Vegas a 24-7 edge.

Drake’s second score was set up by a nice catch and run by RB Josh Jacobs, and the two finally formed a formidable pair, just as Gruden envisioned. All it took, ironically, was Gruden’s resignation.

Ruggs’ 48-yard touchdown grab to start the game set the tone. But he didn’t stop there. He also hauled in a 40-yard catch in the second half — on a crucial third-down, with Carr facing intense pressure in the pocket — that set up a Jacobs rushing TD, giving the Raiders a 31-10 lead. On the day, Ruggs had three catches for 97 yards and his one touchdown.

Ruggs’ fellow young starter at WR, Bryan Edwards, also gets a nod this week. He had his own 51-yard catch (with one hand) late in the fourth quarter, leading to a Daniel Carlson field goal and a 34-17 Raiders advantage.

But this was one of Ruggs’ finest games. He is the playmaker that general manager Mike Mayock — and Gruden, of course — said he was.