Lowell Cohn: Raiders deliver a statement win in dismantling Broncos

OAKLAND - It's dizzying where the Raiders reside today.

In undisputed possession of first place in the AFC West, a powerhouse division. Their record 7-2. A glorious record. Their progress electrifying. They are a team that matters deep into the season. A playoff contender. Maybe more than that.

And they stand high because they beat the Denver Broncos 30-20. Denver the defending Super Bowls champs. The Broncos a serious outfit. Meaning this was a statement game for the Raiders. “Take us seriously or we'll knock you out.”

They stand high because they faced down the pressure of a marquee game. Football on Sunday night, the only game on the tube. Al Michaels in the booth. The entire nation watching. A fraud team crumbles under the spotlight. The Raiders are no frauds.

I love the way they won. I love the way they played. I love their game plan. I have not felt this way about local football in a long time. I bet you feel the same way.

The Raiders did not win how you or I thought they would win. The idea was to marvel at Derek Carr. See Derek stand tall in the pocket. See Derek go through his progressions. See Derek connect with Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree all over the place.

Sure, there was some of that. But Carr's passer rating - 80.6 - was ordinary. And he threw no touchdown passes. No knock on Carr. But this was not his game. The game had another purpose and meaning.

To explain the purpose and meaning, let me introduce rookie guard Denver Kirkland. He is third on the depth chart at left guard. A young man trying to hold his place on the team.

My thesis - bear with me here - is that Kirkland, little used, almost unknown, was as important in the victory as Carr. I admit I may be overstating the case. But I do have a case.

Throughout the game, the official would announce that Kirkland, No. 79, was eligible. The official meant Kirkland was essentially a tight end, that he could catch a pass. Kirkland had to report to the official because 79 is a lineman's number, not a tight end's number.

You with me?

But Carr never threw Kirkland a pass. And Kirkland never expected him to.

Kirkland was there as an extra protector. Think of him as a policeman protecting a dignitary - the quarterback. Upholding law and order. Representing the establishment. It's what offensive linemen do.

Kirkland was there to keep the “bad” guys out. I'm talking about Denver's great edge pass rushers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. I don't really mean they are bad guys. In the universe of football, they try to destroy law and order when they sack, harry and rush the quarterback.

You can think of football as a moral fable - the same as chess.

This you need to know. Kirkland is 6-4, 335 pounds. He is a massive man, and like most offensive lineman, he is soft-spoken. I admire offensive linemen. Ware is 6-4, 258. And Miller is 6-3, 250. Both are huge, but compared to Kirkland, they are prawns. He was there to handle them. A rookie told to handle those assassins. And he did. He handled them.

I spoke to Kirkland after the game, Kirkland not used to being spoken to by a reporter. Not used to being recognized. I asked Kirkland what his main purpose was.

“My main object was basically whatever the team needs,” he said. “I'm a fill-in guy.”

“My guess,” I said, “is you were there to protect the quarterback from the pass rush.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Who in particular?”

“I went against Von Miller a couple of times, and I went against Ware down the stretch.”

“Was the idea to keep them out?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Was it hard to do?”

Yes, it was.”

“Did you talk to them?”

“No, I don't talk on the field. I focus on my responsibilities.”

“Did Ware and Miller seem frustrated? Those guys are terrific and they didn't have a terrific game. Did they seem frustrated they couldn't get to Carr?”

“Yes, they did.”

“How could you tell?”

“How could I tell? The grunt. After a play like, ‘Damn, gotta do better.' Stuff like that.”

“Were you proud of how you played?”

“Yes, sir, I was.”

“Why?”

“Because it was a blessing to be in there today and to have a good game against those type of dudes.”

Kirkland and the Raiders beat up those type of dudes. They turned football as ballet into football as hand-to-hand combat. They had their linemen clear out space for the run game, had their linemen keep Carr safe and confident. The Raiders made it muscle against muscle. It took brains for them to put brawn back into football and it worked.

The Raiders threw the ball 31 times. They ran it 43 times. Way out of balance. Not exactly Raiders football. It was the right kind of football. In-your-face and in-your-chest and in-your-gut football. The Raiders ran for 218 yards. Big number.

And it meant the Raiders would not permit Ware and Miller and the others to be who they are, and do what they like - rush the passer and sack him. The Raiders forced them to defend the run. Forced them to take hits. Made them the recipients of violence instead of the givers of violence.

Made it so Miller - the great Miller - took himself out of the game on several regular downs. Worn down by the continual beating. Worn down by someone like Kirkland.

By the fourth quarter, the Broncos defenders didn't like the game anymore. On one Raiders drive, the Broncos went to pieces. Cracked up. Were called twice for pass interference. Once for defensive holding. Just lost their minds. Then the Raiders scored a touchdown. Put away the game then and there.

This game plan I loved. I bet you did, too.

For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular, go to the Cohn Zohn at cohn.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com.