Las Vegas Raiders vs. Denver Broncos: 2017 Week 4 Recap

Game story

In Week 4 of the 2017 NFL season on 2017-10-01, the Denver Broncos took care of business against the Las Vegas Raiders, pulling away with a 16–10 final that stayed a one-score game deep into the second half.

The highest-scoring period was Q1 with 10 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

T. Siemian (Denver Broncos) paced the passing game, with +1.73 total EPA, and +5.2% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, J. Holton (Las Vegas Raiders) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +5.47 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-17.7% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when Las Vegas Raiders changed the game: (1:56) (Shotgun) 3-E.Manuel pass deep left intended for 89-A.Cooper INTERCEPTED by 31-J.Simmons at DEN 8. 31-J.Simmons to DEN 8 for no gain (89-A.Cooper).

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 J. Holton · Las Vegas Raiders · Receiving · +5.47 total EPA · 1 snaps · +5.47 EPA/play
2. 2 A. Derby · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +4.41 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.73 EPA/play
3. 3 B. Fowler · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +4.38 total EPA · 2 snaps · +2.19 EPA/play
4. 4 S. Roberts · Las Vegas Raiders · Receiving · +2.84 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.57 EPA/play
5. 5 J. Richard · Las Vegas Raiders · Receiving · +2.26 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.26 EPA/play
6. 6 J. Charles · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +1.87 total EPA · 1 snaps · +1.87 EPA/play
7. 7 E. Sanders · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +1.74 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.35 EPA/play
8. 8 T. Siemian · Denver Broncos · Passing · +1.73 total EPA · 32 snaps · +0.05 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Denver Broncos — A. Derby (T. Siemian pass) (Q1 53:19)
• Las Vegas Raiders — J. Holton (D. Carr pass) (Q2 33:46)

Field goals

• Denver Broncos — B. McManus (Q1 46:13)
• Denver Broncos — B. McManus (Q3 24:44)
• Denver Broncos — B. McManus (Q3 20:12)
• Las Vegas Raiders — G. Tavecchio (Q4 5:27)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Denver Broncos won the period 10–0. Denver Broncos found the end zone from the LV 22 (Q1 53:19) — (8:19) 13-T.Siemian pass short right to 83-A.Derby for 22 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the LV 15 (Q1 53:11) — 8-B.McManus extra point is GOOD, Center-42-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon.; Denver Broncos connected on a field goal from the LV 10 (Q1 46:13) — (1:13) 8-B.McManus 28 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon..

The second quarter: Las Vegas Raiders won the period 7–0. Las Vegas Raiders found the end zone from the DEN 64 (Q2 33:46) — (3:46) (Shotgun) 4-D.Carr pass deep right to 16-J.Holton for 64 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Las Vegas Raiders added 1 points from the DEN 15 (Q2 33:36) — 2-G.Tavecchio extra point is GOOD, Center-59-J.Condo, Holder-7-M.King..

The third quarter: Denver Broncos won the period 6–0. Denver Broncos connected on a field goal from the LV 18 (Q3 24:44) — (9:44) 8-B.McManus 36 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon.; Denver Broncos connected on a field goal from the LV 28 (Q3 20:12).

The fourth quarter: Las Vegas Raiders won the period 3–0. Las Vegas Raiders connected on a field goal from the DEN 20 (Q4 5:27) — (5:27) 2-G.Tavecchio 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-59-J.Condo, Holder-7-M.King..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Las Vegas Raiders (Q4 1:56) — (1:56) (Shotgun) 3-E.Manuel pass deep left intended for 89-A.Cooper INTERCEPTED by 31-J.Simmons at DEN 8. 31-J.Simmons to DEN 8 for no gain (89-A.Cooper). [WPA -17.7% · EPA -1.98]
• Las Vegas Raiders (Q2 33:46) — (3:46) (Shotgun) 4-D.Carr pass deep right to 16-J.Holton for 64 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +11.3% · EPA +5.47]
• Denver Broncos (Q2 31:57) — (1:57) (Shotgun) 13-T.Siemian pass short right to 28-J.Charles to DEN 49 for 14 yards (57-C.James). [WPA +7.9% · EPA +1.87]
• Denver Broncos (Q1 53:46) — (8:46) 13-T.Siemian pass short right to 83-A.Derby to LV 22 for 29 yards (29-D.Amerson). [WPA +7.6% · EPA +1.69]
• Denver Broncos (Q1 54:35) — (9:35) (Shotgun) 13-T.Siemian pass deep right to 16-B.Fowler to DEN 49 for 18 yards (29-D.Amerson) [52-K.Mack]. [WPA +7.5% · EPA +2.29]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Las Vegas Raiders (Q2 33:46) — (3:46) (Shotgun) 4-D.Carr pass deep right to 16-J.Holton for 64 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +11.3% · EPA +5.47]
• Las Vegas Raiders (Q2 39:05) — (9:05) 24-M.Lynch up the middle to DEN 31 for no gain (34-W.Parks). [WPA -5.9% · EPA -3.82]
• Las Vegas Raiders (Q3 17:32) — (2:32) (Punt formation) 7-M.King right end to LV 30 for -3 yards (87-J.Taylor). PENALTY on LV-7-M.King, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced at LV 30. [WPA -1.9% · EPA -3.58]
• Denver Broncos (Q4 14:14) — (14:14) 8-B.McManus 29 yard field goal is No Good, Hit Left Upright, Center-42-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon. [WPA -3.5% · EPA -3.35]

Quarterback report card

T.Siemian led all passers in efficiency for Denver Broncos, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• T.Siemian (Denver Broncos) · 32 dropbacks · 50.0% completion · +5.2% CPOE · +0.05 EPA/play · +1.73 total EPA
• D.Carr (Las Vegas Raiders) · 21 dropbacks · 47.6% completion · -5.9% CPOE · -0.04 EPA/play · -0.93 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Denver Broncos held the efficiency edge in offensive EPA per play (-0.07 vs -0.18), even if the scoreboard told a different story.

• Denver Broncos: 12 drives, -6.15 total EPA, 4 scoring drives
• Las Vegas Raiders: 12 drives, -12.52 total EPA, 2 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Denver Broncos leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• J. Holton (Las Vegas Raiders) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• T. Siemian (DEN) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.
• D. Carr (LV) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q1 53:19 · LV 22 · Score 0-6
   (8:19) 13-T.Siemian pass short right to 83-A.Derby for 22 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q1 53:11 · LV 15 · Score 0-7
   8-B.McManus extra point is GOOD, Center-42-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon.
3. Denver Broncos FG (+3) — Q1 46:13 · LV 10 · Score 0-10
   (1:13) 8-B.McManus 28 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon.
4. Las Vegas Raiders TD (+6) — Q2 33:46 · DEN 64 · Score 6-10
   (3:46) (Shotgun) 4-D.Carr pass deep right to 16-J.Holton for 64 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
5. Las Vegas Raiders XP (+1) — Q2 33:36 · DEN 15 · Score 7-10
   2-G.Tavecchio extra point is GOOD, Center-59-J.Condo, Holder-7-M.King.
6. Denver Broncos FG (+3) — Q3 24:44 · LV 18 · Score 7-13
   (9:44) 8-B.McManus 36 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon.
7. Denver Broncos FG (+3) — Q3 20:12 · LV 28 · Score 7-16
   (5:12) 8-B.McManus 46 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon. DEN-76-M.Garcia was injured during the play. His return is Probable.
8. Las Vegas Raiders FG (+3) — Q4 5:27 · DEN 20 · Score 10-16
   (5:27) 2-G.Tavecchio 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-59-J.Condo, Holder-7-M.King.