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OAKLAND, Calif. - Even the boos from the Raiders' rabid fans were half-hearted.
When the Denver Broncos ran around and through Oakland for a 17-point lead late in the second quarter, McAfee Coliseum was a funeral home, with most of its fans wearing the correct color for the affair. Rookie receiver Eddie Royal had a startling debut, quarterback Jay Cutler was fantastic and that duo carved up the Raiders in a 41-14 win Monday night. Denver is 1-0 and the three other AFC West teams are 0-1.
After a 7-9 finish last year and an offseason of muted expectations nationally, the Broncos were dominant in their opener. And that was without suspended receiver and top playmaker Brandon Marshall.
The offense picked up where it left off in the preseason, moving the ball with ease from the start. Featuring Royal as the centerpiece of the offense in his first NFL game, Denver drove 76 yards to take a 7-0 lead. Royal had two carries and two catches for 51 total yards and scored the touchdown on a 26-yard reception.
Cutler was just warming up. With or without Marshall, he showed he might become part of the NFL's elite class of quarterbacks. He hit five receivers in the first half, including Royal seven times for 99 yards and tight end Tony Scheffler for a 72-yard gain. Cutler completed 12 of 18 passes for 202 yards in the first half and posted more big plays in the second half.
Denver added a field goal and another touchdown on a 3-yard run by Michael Pittman to take a 17-0 lead before halftime. Oakland's fans, who began arriving at the stadium at about lunchtime and cheered wildly before the game, were restless as their team stumbled.
Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell had a ball slip out of his hand at Denver's 7-yard line on the Raiders' first drive, and Denver recovered. Oakland receiver Ronald Curry dropped a wide-open pass, and when he found himself alone later, Russell overthrew him. Near the end of the first half, Oakland tried a reverse to receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins, but Higgins dropped the ball and lost 15 yards.
The Broncos removed most doubt about the game's outcome the first time they touched the ball in the second half. Cutler threw off his back foot and hit Royal for 29 yards, putting Royal over 100 yards for the game. Royal's 146 receiving yards leads the NFL after one week. Cutler then threw a rocket to Darrell Jackson, who turned and broke free of safety Michael Huff for a 48-yard touchdown that gave Denver a 24-0 lead.
Denver's defense knew its challenge would be stopping the run, and Oakland opened the game with eight straight running plays. But in the first half, the Raiders gained 61 yards on 15 carries with no run longer than 13 yards, a solid showing by the Broncos' new-look defense.
The unit flustered Russell as well. The second-year quarterback completed 5 of 8 passes in the first half for 47 yards.
The Raiders finally broke Denver's shutout with 13:08 remaining in the fourth quarter when former Broncos' first-round pick Ashley Lelie - cut by the San Francisco 49ers about a week ago and picked up by Oakland - caught an 8-yard touchdown pass on fourth down over Broncos cornerback Karl Paymah. That cut the lead to 27-7.
Denver came right back and Selvin Young scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to push the lead back to 27 points.
Pittman's second touchdown, a 1-yarder, put Denver ahead 41-7 before Oakland tacked on a late touchdown on a pass from Russell to Curry.
The Broncos have a chance to make another positive statement next week when they play San Diego at Invesco Field at Mile High. The Chargers outscored Denver 64-6 last season, but they are coming off a season-opening loss to Carolina.
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(c) 2008, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.
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