Griese and Elam seize the spoils

Brian Griese, playing with a shoulder injury sustained in the first quarter, directed a 44-yard drive in the final 66 seconds, while Jason Elam capped it with a 41-yard field goal as time expired to give the Denver Broncos a thrilling 27-24 home victory over the Oakland Raiders on Monday night.

Brian Griese, playing with a shoulder injury sustained in the first quarter, directed a 44-yard drive in the final 66 seconds, while Jason Elam capped it with a 41-yard field goal as time expired to give the Denver Broncos a thrilling 27-24 home victory over the Oakland Raiders on Monday night.

The Raiders, in first place in the AFC West, have beaten every team they have played this season except the Broncos, who have managed to beat them twice. Griese completed four consecutive passes for 42 yards before a spike to stop the clock with the Broncos at the Oakland 25-yard line and 14 seconds remaining. After Griese's two-yard keeper put the ball in the middle of the field, Elam drilled the winning kick, giving Denver its seventh consecutive victory in the series.