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Raiders avoid trap, overcome early struggles a positive sign

Three takeaways from the Raiders’ 37-12 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium:

1. Winning on an off day

The Raiders made their share of mistakes and let the struggling Broncos hang around until late in the third quarter.

But the Raiders made plays at key times, harassed Denver quarterback Drew Lock and wound up pulling away for a convincing victory.

That is an encouraging development for the Raiders as they try to make a playoff push in the second half of their season.

This figured to be a trap game given the Raiders were coming off road victories against the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Chargers and with next Sunday night’s game against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Beating bad teams in such situations is not a given. Throw in some missed opportunities by the Raiders to take control early, and their ability to pull away from the Broncos in the second half is an accomplishment to savor.

The Raiders rapidly are becoming a team other contenders don’t want to face.

2. The defense brought it

Where did this pass rush come from? The Raiders finally got to the quarterback, and it made a tremendous difference.

Lock, whose accuracy already was in question entering this game, was under pressure throughout. Lock never felt like a threat to throw the Broncos back into the game.

Worse, for the Broncos, Lock made two questionable throws in the first half that turned into Jeff Heath interceptions — one in triple coverage and the other on the Raiders’ goal-line on what was the Broncos’ best drive. Lock later was intercepted twice more.

The Raiders wound hitting Lock seven times and hurrying him on many other plays.

The Las Vegas defense has shown the ability to make plays, most notably shutting down the Browns two weeks ago. It also has stepped up with a key play to help preserve victories, such as a fourth-down stop in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers.

Consistency has been the problem. It’s vital the defense builds on this performance.

3. Abram needs to reel it in

That’s not exactly breaking news, but Raiders safety Johnathan Abram’s tendency to play out of control cost his team a touchdown Sunday.

Hunter Renfrow had appeared to put the Raiders ahead 14-3 early in the second quarter, which would have set a strong early tone. The Raiders instead found themselves in an early dogfight.

But Abram was called for a blindside block. Although many Raiders fans on Twitter went crazy about the penalty, he never should have put himself in position for an official to throw a flag. He was probably 10 yards from Renfrow, who didn’t need the block to break free.

There is little doubting Abram’s ability, but he constantly throws his body around in a reckless manner. It cost him nearly all of last season because of a shoulder injury, and it has cost the Raiders at various points this season, including later in this game. His shove started a melee that resulted in the ejection of a player from each team.

If he plays under more control, Abram can be the difference maker the Raiders need in the secondary. He needs to get there soon.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.

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