Surtain’s 100-yard pick six keys Broncos’ 34-18 win over the Raiders

DENVER — All was lost for the Denver Broncos.

In front of their jazzed up, sellout crowd that was mostly adorned in throwback orange jerseys and about 100 former players in for alumni weekend, the Broncos were down 10-0 early and about to fall behind, 17-3, to the hated, rival Las Vegas Raiders in an AFC West matchup of 2-2 teams.

And then Broncos’ all-world cornerback Pat Surtain, with a huge assist from Raiders’ quarterback Gardner Minshew, came to the rescue.

On first and goal from the 5, Minshew inexplicably thew a ball up for grabs. It sailed well over the head of rookie tight end Brock Bowers, and into the arms of Surtain, who had moved up from the end zone to the goal line to cradle the gift in mid-stride. Surtain returned it 100 yards for a touchdown and instead of going down, 17-3, the Broncos had tied it, 10-10.

The play turned the game upside down.

Minshew lost his mojo, was later benched and the Broncos cruised past the Raiders, 34-18 on a Chamber of Commerce sun-splashed, 75-degree Sunday afternoon in early October at Empower Field at Mile High. 

It was the Broncos’ first win against the Raiders since 2019, snapping an eight-game losing streak against the Silver and Black. Credit the throwback bright orange jerseys and light-blue helmets? Nah. Credit Surtain, who later got his second interception, or blame Minshew, who later was intercepted by the Broncos’ other fine cornerback, Riley Moss.

The Raiders weren’t done helping the Broncos with the Minshew gaffe. Broncos’ kicker Wil Lutz missed a 59-yard field goal with no time left on the first-half clock but Las Vegas defensive lineman Janarius Robinson was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Lutz kicked it again from 44 yards and this time made it to put the Broncos up, 13-10 at the intermission.

It’s not often a QB starts 9 of 9 with a perfect 158.3 passer rating and winds up benched in the third quarter. But that’s what happened to Minshew as he was pulled in favor of Aidan O’Connell.

The Broncos’ best offensive threat through 2 1/2 quarters was Marvin Mims Jr., whose 38-yard kickoff return set up a field goal in the second quarter and then his 38-yard punt return in the third gave the Broncos the ball at midfield. From there, Broncos’ quarterback Bo Nix hit Lil’Jordan Humphrey along the right sideline. Humphrey stepped out of a shirt-tail tackle attempt and rambled 27 yards to set up first and goal at the 3. It was Humphrey’s second explosive play (20-plus yards) of the game.

Jaleel McLaughlin finished the drive by taking a swing pass behind the line of scrimmage from Nix, then sprinting and leaping to the pylon for a 4-yard touchdown. The Broncos were up 20-10 midway through the third quarter.

Playing against a Raiders team that was without its top receiver, Davante Adams, and top rusher, Zamir White, the Broncos were sluggish early, as if they seemingly had the post-Greenbrier Blues. Either that or it was that the Raiders had Minshew that put the Broncos down, 10-0 early.

On each of the Raiders’ first two drives, the Denver D forced third and 9 and third and 8. Both times, Minshew scrambled up the gut for 11 yards to keep the series alive.

After his first 11-yard run, Minshew had a Broncos’ pass rusher coming right at him up the middle. Minshew threw it up downfield where tight end Brock Bowers was jostling for position with Broncos’ safety P.J. Locke. Bowers, not Locke, made the proper move on the ball. Locke turned the wrong way and fell down.

Bowers snagged the ball, turned up field and got a terrific downfield block on his way to the end zone for a 57-yard touchdown play just 2 minutes and 3 seconds into the game.

Bowers, remember, was taken by the Raiders with their No. 13 overall draft pick. The Broncos took quarterback Bo Nix at No. 12. 

Nix was pretty good, too. Early in the fourth quarter, he was 19 of 27 passing for 206 yards, two touchdowns, 0 interceptions and he also had an 11-yard scramble minutes after getting in a heated discussion with head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines. Nix also had a near-perfect, 45-yard touchdown pass slip through the hands of rookie receiver Troy Franklin. Nix and Franklin combined for 23 touchdowns the previous two years at Oregon but this one got away. 

Nix finished an early fourth quarter drive with a lunging, leap over center for a 1-yard touchdown and after the Raiders continued to self-destruct, connected with Jose Reynolds for a 9-yard touchdown pass.

With 8:14 remaining, the Broncos were up, 34-10.

Before Minshew and the Raiders fell apart, he was also effective on his second drive, although it stalled following a false-start penalty. Daniel Carlson of Colorado Springs kicked a 40-yard field goal to put the Raiders up 10-0.

At that point, Minshew was 7 of 7 for 96 yards with the touchdown and a perfect, 158.3 rating.

The Broncos began to at first gradually get back in the game thanks to Mims. The second-year player exploded for a 38-yard kickoff return, then an early down 17-yard gain on a jet sweep. Nix then scrambled right and hit Lil’Jordan Humphrey for 21 yards and the Broncos had first down at the Raiders’ 22.

But a Maxx Crosby 13-yard sack almost knocked the Broncos out of field goal range. Fortunately for the Denver offense, Lutz salvaged the sagging drive with a 51-yard field goal.

Then came a 14-point swing that was a combination horrific throw by Minshew and terrific play by Surtain. The Raiders on their next drive had first and goal at the 5. They were gouging the Denver run defense and Minshew was up to 9 of 9 for 115 yards.

On the first and goal, Minshew scrambled left, and with pressure in his face, overthrew Bowers, the ball landing in the arms of Surtain. Surtain had only Minshew to beat. The quarterback was taken out with a pancake block by Broncos’ rookie outside linebacker Jonah Elliss. Surtain went all the way for a 100-yard pick six.

The sellout crowd of throwback-orange jerseyed fans went berserk. Instead of going down, 17-3, the Broncos had tied it, 10-10.

A 14-point swing. And it swung into a Broncos’ route. Denver is now 3-2 with three consecutive wins heading into next Sunday’s home game against Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers.

Javonte Williams was both the Broncos leading rusher (13 carries, 61 yards) and receiver (5 catches, 50 yards). …

Tight end Greg Dulcich was a healthy scratch, replaced by Lucas Krull, who was active for the first time this season. Dulcich has struggled to regain form after missing the previous 1 ½ seasons with a hamstring injury. …

Rookie receiver Devaughn Vele was also inactive for a third consecutive game. He had a team-high 8 catches in the opener at Seattle, but suffered a significant rib injury in that game and hasn’t played since. …

Maxx Crosby played for the Raiders despite a high ankle sprain that forced him to miss the better part of the past two weeks and had two sacks. Crosby now has a 10-game sack streak against the Broncos, garnering 14.5 in that span.