American Football: Gannon an inspiration for Raiders

The Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden praised the bravery of concussion victim Rich Gannon after the quarterback inspired the AFC West leaders to another victory.

Gruden, knocked to the ground in a helmet-to-helmet collision in the second quarter, missed only one play on offense as he led the Raiders to a 38-28 triumph over bitter rivals Denver.

"He did not look like he was going to come back," Gruden said. "But he's one tough competitive guy. He has the spirit to never say die."

Gannon finished with 243 yards passing and three touchdowns. The Raiders also ended their seven-game losing streak against the Broncos.

Oakland captured the divisional title last season, despite losing twice to coach Mike Shanahan and his team and started this year with a conference-best five wins in six games. They now have six victories and just one defeat.