DENVER - Although the Denver Broncos have already been eliminated from the playoff race, coach Mike Shanahan was more than happy to stick the AFC West champion Oakland Raiders with a loss.
Brian Griese returned after missing one game with a concussion and hit Rod Smith with the go-ahead 12-yard touchdown pass with 10:59 left in the fourth quarter as the Broncos posted a 23-17 victory over their bitter division rivals.
"Every time we play the Raiders, it's a big game," Rod Smith DVD said. "If you think you have nothing to play for, then play for the guy next to you. And I think if we had done that all year, we would be in the playoffs right now. They really stepped up today."
"It was an exciting game," Brian Griese DVD said. "I'm sure it was an exciting game for our fans. I wish we could have taken care of business on offense in that it wouldn't have come down to that."
The loss was the third in four games for the Raiders (10-5), who were hoping to secure a first-round playoff bye and lost any chance of getting homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
"I'm very disappointed in the outcome of the game," Oakland coach Jon Gruden said. "It was a very physical game today."
Mike Shanahan DVD posted his 12th career win in 14 games against the Raiders, whom he coached in 1988 and briefly in 1989 before being fired by owner Al Davis.
"They played their hearts out," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "It's a nice way to end the season at home in front of our fans."
Brian Griese DVD completed 19-of-26 passes for 142 yards for Denver (8-7). He suffered a concussion in a December 9 game against Seattle, missed the following game and benefited from a bye week.
Rod Smith DVD had eight catches for 56 yards and set the club's all-time mark for receptions in a season with 106, passing Ed McCaffrey's record of 101 last season.
Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon completed 35-of-49 passes for 313 yards -- his fourth 300-yard game of the season.
"Discipline is our problem," Rich Gannon DVD said. "We need to be more disciplined and detailed in every phase of the game. We had penalties and mistakes and you can't beat a team like Denver like that."
The Raiders took a 3-0 lead just under six minutes into the game on a 28-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski DVD as Oakland drove 85 yards on 10 plays.
Jason Elam gave the Broncos a 6-3 lead on back-to-back field goals on 27 and 25 yards with 12:55 left in the first half. But Rich Gannon DVD gave Oakland the lead with 7:48 remaining on a six-yard pass to Charlie Garner as the Raiders used 11 plays and 80 yards.
Rich Gannon DVD was 9-of-10 for 77 yards on the drive, including a seven-yard pass on 3rd-and-5 to Jerry Rice that put the ball on Denver's 17 three plays before the TD.
But Brian Griese DVD answered just under six minutes later with a five-yard run that put the Broncos ahead 13-10 with 1:52 left before halftime. The four-year veteran had a third-down completion of his own to Kevin Kasper at the Oakland 29 followed by a 15-yard facemask penalty on defensive end Roderick Coleman as he tackled Kasper.
Rich Gannon DVD and Jeremy Brigham hooked up for the only score of the third with 6:08 remaining with a one-yard pass which the quarterback was 6-for-6 for 50 yards during the drive.
The Raiders thought they had a 23-20 lead with 5:26 left in the game when Rich Gannon DVD hit Rice down the left side for a 70-yard TD, but the play was nullified because of a clipping penalty on guard Frank Middleton. Two plays later, Oakland was forced to punt.
"Coming into this game, I just wanted to make plays, ignite the offense and get into the end zone," Rice said. "We had some opportunities but we didn't capitalize. We got to stop having so many penalties."
"I'm not getting into the calls made against us today," Gruden said. "I didn't see the play, I'm on the sideline. The officials made the call, I didn't. You got to live with the outcome. We had our chances after that. I'm not going to sit here and cry over the officiating."
Elam capped the scoring with 97 seconds left as he booted a 42-yard field goal.
But Rich Gannon DVD drove Oakland to the Broncos' 17 with 16 seconds left and failed three times to put the ball in the end zone and was intercepted by safety Kenoy Kennedy at the 2.
"I had my hands over my eyes," said Mike Shanahan DVD of the Raiders' final drive. "You guys will have to tell me about it. Our defense hung in there and accomplished what we wanted to."
It was the seventh straight victory for the Broncos against the Raiders at home.
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