ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders, as unlikely as it sounds, control their destiny after Sunday's 21-14 defeat of the Denver Broncos to improve to 5-6 overall. Win out, and the Raiders win the AFC West. But first things first -- with Amari Cooper suffering a concussion and Michael Crabtree facing a potential suspension after his fight with Aqib Talib, do the Raiders have to add a receiver for next week's home game against the New York Giants?
What it means: After such an uneven start, the Raiders still have something to play for. Thanks to the Kansas City Chiefs losing five of six, the Raiders could get to 10-6 and win the AFC West. Crazy talk? Perhaps, with games at Kansas City and the Philadelphia Eagles still on the docket. But the Raiders control their destiny, and after that four-game losing streak earlier in the season, isn't that all Oakland could ask for?
What I liked: The Raiders finally, thankfully, got their first interception of the season, and it came in a big spot. With the Broncos at Oakland's 1-yard line and threatening to take a 7-0 lead, Paxton Lynch's pass to tight end Virgil Green was batted away by Reggie Nelson and into the chest of NaVorro Bowman, who was laying on the ground in the end zone. The Raiders responded with an 80-yard touchdown drive. Funny how forced turnovers are harbingers of good fortune for an offense. Then there were the five sacks for a team that entered the game with the fewest in the league at 14.
What I didn't like: Time to pick nits, so let's go with how slow the Raiders offense started. Because after Marshawn Lynch broke off a 6-yard run with ease on the first play of the game, Derek Carr attempted two passes that sailed on him in the wet weather. Carr was wearing a glove on his left (non-passing) hand and overthrowing passes has become a trend of late. "You think that would be solved at some point," said Raiders radio analyst Tom Flores, the team's two-time-winning Super Bowl head coach.
Fantasy fallout: On a day full of muck and mire and rain that called for a heavy dose of Beast Mode, Marshawn Lynch had a season-high 26 carries, for 67 yards and a 1-yard touchdown run. He also had a 26-yard catch-and-run on a screen pass on a third-and-12 in the fourth quarter to help close the game.
Remember me?: Before Crabtree and Talib mixed it up, Chris Harris, Jr. seemed to imply that Crabtree punched him in the groin. One snap later, Talib again snatched Crabtree's chain, as he did in last season's finale in Denver. Crabtree responded this time, though, and a melee broke out along the Broncos sideline, with both players getting ejected and Lynch, who initially retreated to the Raiders sideline with his hands raised high, escorting Talib through the Raiders bench on his way to Denver's locker room.
What's next: The Raiders (5-6) play host to the New York Giants (2-9) in Oakland's second straight game in the East Bay (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox). Oakland leads the all-time series with the Giants, 7-5, but have lost the past three meetings (2005, 2009 and 2013, when the Giants won, 24-20, in New Jersey).