Raiders fall to No. 5 seed with blowout loss to Broncos
The Denver Broncos (9-7) jumped out to an early lead and clamped down on the Oakland Raiders (12-4) backup quarterbacks in a 24-6 win to end the season. Here is what you need to know:
1. Oakland’s loss coupled with a Kansas City Chiefs win sinks the Raiders to the No. 5 seed. Jack Del Rio’s team will head to Houston next week. Losing a first-round bye is a big blow for the Raiders who could have used the extra week to prep their backup quarterbacks. On the other hand, Houston is the division winner everyone in the AFC playoffs wanted to face. The Texans have as many quarterback question marks as the Raiders.
2. A week after losing Derek Carr to a broken leg, the Raiders‘ quarterback situation got murkier. Backup Matt McGloin exited in the first half with a shoulder injury after getting battered. He did not return. Prior to exiting, McGloin did not look good. The fourth-year quarterback was scatter-shot, completing just six of 11 passes for 21 yards (1.9 average). McGloin airmailed Amari Cooper on what should have been a 60-plus yard TD pass. The Broncos secondary isn’t a good matchup for most starting quarterbacks, and it made McGloin look every bit a backup.
3. Connor Cook looked like a rookie thrust into a bad situation early. His fumble to open the second half came as he scrambled up the pocket and didn’t protect the football. Once he settled in, Cook displayed some tools, and an ability to get through his…