Turnovers and penalties prevent the Raiders from maintaining momentum in Denver

It seems easy to say where things went wrong for the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

The Silver and Black prevailed over the Denver Broncos, scoring the first 10 points of the game. They also outscored their division rivals by a combined 330-289 and won the possession margin on the day.

After all is said and done, turnovers and penalties were clearly the deciding factors in the Raiders' 34-18 loss.

The first turnover came as the Raiders were heading toward the end zone for a possible 17-3 lead in the second quarter. Gardner Minshew II overthrew Brock Bowers, with whom the quarterback had scored a 57-yard touchdown earlier in the game. Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain II had one eye on the ball and then one hand as he caught it for an interception and returned it for a 100-yard Broncos franchise touchdown.

“We knew there would be one or two plays in the game that wouldn’t go our way. Obviously that’s what happened,” head coach Antonio Pierce said after the game. “We ended up coming back here at halftime, it was a 10-13 ball game. We had to keep playing and we just didn't make enough plays. Obviously penalties and turnovers killed us.”

Minshew threw another interception in the third quarter before being replaced by Aidan O'Connell. Surtain had the Raiders' number on Sunday when he then picked off O'Connell, ultimately causing the Raiders to lose the turnover lead by three.

The team also committed 11 penalties for 79 yards, the most in a game this season.

“I thought we got off to a good start, but then I killed our momentum with a pick-six,” Minshew said. “And at the end of the day, I didn’t do it well enough to give us a chance to be competitive in the game. Ultimately, this is my fault.”