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Miller: My job is to sack QB and I didn't hit Carr once

Derek Carr left Monday night's 24-16 tilt versus the Denver Broncos without a scratch. In fact, the Oakland Raiders' quarterback didn't have so much as a dirt smudge on his fender.

The Broncos' pass rush entered 2019 with fearsome expectations led by Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, who were expected to be Bash Brothers in Vic Fangio's system, annihilating opponents' game plans.

Instead, Denver's D got worked over by the Raiders' offensive line.

The Broncos barely laid a fingernail on Carr, earning a goose egg in the stats columns: Zero sacks. Zero QB hits.

"My job is to sack the quarterback and I didn't get to him once, not even a quarterback hit," Miller said after the tilt. "Disappointed in myself on an individual level. They were throwing the ball quick, but we have to find a way to get there."

It was the first time the Broncos failed to record a sack in a game since Week 16, 2017.

But it wasn't just that Denver couldn't take Carr down, it's that they barely even sniffed him.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Broncos generated pressure on 15.4 percent of dropbacks. Last year's Denver squad earned pressure on 28.0 percent of dropbacks.

It's true that Carr got rid of the ball quickly, negating some of the pressure, but that caveat doesn't come close to telling the story of how the Raiders offensive line steamrolled the Denver D.

Offensive tackles Kolton Miller and Trent Brown were fantastic, stonewalling Chubb, Miller and any other takers. The line opened up gaping holes for rookie running back Josh Jacobs to dart through. They thoroughly dominated after entering the season with question marks.

The Raiders' O-line, which allowed pressure on Carr on 23.8 percent of dropbacks last season, deserved the game ball for starting off the season in resounding form. It's even more impressive when you consider they did it without guards Gabe Jackson and Richie Incognito.

Yes, it's just one game, but It was striking to watch the O-line demolish a Vic Fangio defense in the manner that unfolded. If they continue building as the season progresses, Carr will have more nights like Monday.

For the Broncos, they've got to bounce back in a hurry.

"I was extremely disappointed in the loss but not discouraged," Fangio said. "Once you see some of the mistakes we made, or plays we didn't make, that we can see we can be better than we played tonight."

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