Geno Smith battered by relentless Denver defense in Raiders' 10-7 loss

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DENVER (AP) — After spending almost the entire game on the run from the Denver Broncos' relentless pass rush, Geno Smith could barely walk without pain.

Battered and bruised, Smith hobbled out of the locker room following the Las Vegas Raiders' 10-7 loss to the Broncos on Thursday night in which he was sacked six times. He was feeling all those hits — especially a bruised quad — but also a bit encouraged.

Despite being heavy underdogs, this game was right there for Smith and the Raiders (2-7) to win. It was the little — and not-so-little — things that added up, like sacks that knocked them out of field-goal range. Or a negated touchdown after a penalty for offensive pass interference on a pick play by Dont’e Thornton.

Or a deep pass that was dropped, which would've set up the Raiders in Denver territory just before halftime. Or a blocked punt in the third quarter that led to Denver's go-ahead field goal. Or the missed field goal from 48 yards by Daniel Carlson that would've tied it with 4:26 remaining, after which the Raiders never got the ball back as the Broncos (8-2) sealed their seventh straight victory.

"When the Raiders stop beating the Raiders, we’ll go out there and we can beat anybody in this league,” said the 35-year-old Smith, whose team committed 11 penalties for 83 yards. "We've got to stop beating ourselves first. It seems like that’s been a recurring thing every single week. I know it’s not for our lack of effort.

“I think guys are just learning as we go.”

The Raiders dealt with a patchwork offensive line, too, after losing right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson to a left leg injury during the game and left guard Dylan Parham to a sprained ankle. That didn't help against a defense that has 46 sacks this season and is on pace for an NFL-record 78.

“We fought to the end,” Smith said.

Of all the hits Smith took, the one that stung most came early in the fourth quarter when he scrambled out of the pocket and was tripped up by Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto. As Smith fell to the ground, 290-pound defensive lineman Malcolm Roach landed on him. Smith stayed down for a minute before gingerly making his way to the sideline.

He left for only two offensive plays, though.

“He wants to be out there with the guys, and really respect that. He's a great player,” said tight end Brock Bowers, who caught just one pass for 31 yards as the Broncos blanketed him even without star cornerback Pat Surtain II (strained pectoral muscle).

To keep the quad loose, Smith jogged on the sideline and rode a stationary bike. Leaving was never an option. Not in a tight game.

“I never want to leave my teammates out there alone,” said Smith, who threw for 143 yards with one interception. "I feel like it’s a big responsibility of mine to be out there and to do whatever I can to help us win."

Smith drove Las Vegas into field-goal range with around 9:30 remaining. But then he was sacked, which prevented a potential tying kick. Later, after Kyu Blu Kelly made his second interception of the game, the Raiders were in business again.

But they came away empty when Carlson pushed a 48-yard field-goal attempt to the right. He missed an extra point the week before in a 30-29 overtime loss to Jacksonville, and his game-winning try in Week 4 was blocked by the Bears.

“He’s got to kick better,” coach Pete Carroll said. "I know it kills him, too. He wants to make every one of those.”

That's just the way it went all night — and just the way it's gone all season, too.

“In order to be a good team, you've got to play clean. I keep saying that every week,” Smith said. “You can’t have missed assignments. You can’t have penalties. You can’t have penalties negate big plays. Can't have turnovers. Those are the things that hurt teams.”

And keep them from beating good ones.

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