McGill’s dash: a heads-up play

DENVER — The Raiders were actually in the game Sunday for about 15 minutes, thanks to some rookie ingenuity.

After Justin Tuck deflected a lateral by Peyton Manning, cornerback Keith McGill picked up the ball near the sideline and scampered 18 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter. Most players just stood and watched, thinking it had been a forward pass.

“Gotta scoop and score everything and make the refs make the decision,” McGill said. “I threw up the touchdown sign and then they did.”

That cut the Broncos’ lead to 10-7 with 3:42 left in the quarter, but C.J. Anderson scored a touchdown five minutes later and that was curtains for the Raiders.

McGill, limited by injuries, was making his first start of the season and got better as the day progressed after giving up a 27-yard reception to Demaryius Thomas and a 31-yarder to Emmanuel Sanders.

“I know Manning would come after me, but I just tried to use my strength, which is my size and arms, and try to press them,” said McGill, who’s 6-foot-3, 211 pounds. “Mess up their timing, and I thought it worked and I got in the groove toward the end of the game.”

Thomas had seven catches for 110 yards in the first half. Thomas later dropped an easy touchdown pass when McGill turned the wrong way in coverage. Thomas had just one catch for 5 yards in the second half. He’s back: Oakland safety Charles Woodson is planning on returning for his 18th season. “Crazy thing is that I still feel I can get better,” he said. Early slump: For the second straight week, Oakland started the game with three straight threeand-outs on offense. The Raiders had 4 yards of offense in the first quarter.

“It’s a terrible feeling,” receiver Andre Holmes said. “You don’t know why it’s happening when it’s happening, when we get in those slumps.”

Holmes had a chance at a big play while open on a deep route in the third quarter, but he couldn’t get to a flea-flicker pass from Carr in the end zone. Holmes said he got caught looking at the safety and back for the ball and, “I don’t know if I slowed down or what.” Briefly: The Raiders allowed 452 points this year and 453 last season, the second and third worst seasons in team history. The franchise benchmark was 458 in a 14-game schedule in 1961. ... Oakland is the first team in NFL history to allow 400-plus points in four straight seasons. The team had not previously allowed 400 points even in consecutive seasons. … The Raiders also finished with a franchise-low 22 sacks. Tuck had one Sunday and led the team with five.