Throughout Russell Wilson’s somber news conference after Denver’s 17-16 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, he kept echoing that the team was one or two plays away from winning its season opener.

Yes, Denver’s penalties, special teams issues and defensive miscues down the stretch received most of the criticism. But the offense left points on the field, especially in a critical red zone situation early in the fourth quarter.

With 10:19 to go in regulation, running back Samaje Perine bulldozed through the Raiders defense for a 12-yard run to Las Vegas’ 8-yard line. Suddenly, Denver stopped pounding the rock. Wilson’s pass to tight end Adam Trautman was short of the goal line. His throw to wide receiver Brandon Johnson was broken up by Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo, who could’ve intercepted the pass.

Wilson’s third pass didn’t even have a chance, as he soared the ball out of bounds after getting pressured by Maxx Crosby. Denver settled for a 24-yard field goal from kicker Wil Lutz, extending its lead to 16-10 with 8:54 remaining. Clearly, it wasn’t enough.

“Points are nice, but to be able to get touchdowns is the key,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said Sunday after the game. “When you get in the red zone and (are) able to score touchdowns, that’s going to give our defense a little more of a cushion.”

Denver’s decision to abandon the run was puzzling. The Broncos outgained Las Vegas 94-61 on the ground as Perine and running back Javonte Williams were solid Sunday. Williams, who played in his first regular-season game since tearing his ACL last October, rushed for 52 yards on 13 carries. Perine, on the other hand, had 78 total yards, including 41 rushing, and averaged 5.1 yards per carry.

Both running backs are hard to bring down, so why not use their skill set in that situation?

“I told our team there’ll be some things we like that we see on this film, and other things we have to correct,” head coach Sean Payton said.

The Raiders handed the Broncos an opportunity to seize the game, making the drive even more frustrating. Las Vegas quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw an interception to safety Kareem Jackson on an ill-advised pass in the final minutes of the third quarter.

With 13:41 left in the fourth, Las Vegas linebacker Luke Masterson was penalized for a late hit on Broncos punter Riley Dixon, giving Denver the ball back at the Raiders 42-yard line. Yet, the Broncos didn’t capitalize with a touchdown.

“We might have done some things well, but we didn’t win,” Sutton said. “So there are things that we have to go in and correct.”

Extra points

• Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II had the upper hand in his third matchup against Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams. According to Next Gen Stats, Surtain had three pass breakups while holding Adams to two receptions for 11 yards on five targets. Adams drew a pass interference call with Surtain in coverage in the third quarter, but the All-Pro cornerback immediately responded with a pass deflection.

• Broncos wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, a practice squad call-up, had a significant role Sunday. Humphrey played 70% of the offensive snaps, second-most among wide receivers. Even though the former Saints wideout was on the field quite a bit, he only had two catches for 11 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter.

• One bright spot for the defense: The Broncos didn’t allow running back Josh Jacobs to run all over them compared to previous games. Jacobs carried the ball 19 times for 48 yards, the fewest against the Broncos in his career, while averaging 2.5 yards per attempt.

“I think we had a good game plan to stop the run,” outside linebacker Randy Gregory said. “We need to cut down on some of the explosive plays and make plays when we need to.”

• Penalties, penalties, penalties. Even though Denver’s offense looked sound under Payton, the mental errors were alarming, with 10 penalties for 83 yards. Denver had three procedure penalties, including an illegal touch on cornerback Tremon Smith during the risky onside kick to start the game, two pass interferences, two holding calls, roughing the passer and two flags for unnecessary roughness. Four of Denver’s penalties resulted in first downs for Las Vegas.

“When you watch them all, there are two or three (penalties) that you’re not going to lose sleep over relative to what your players are doing,” Payton said. “But being smart and understanding how the game is being officiated relative to personal fouls or roughing falls on us. It’s something we got to be better at.”

• Rookie inside linebacker Drew Sanders didn’t play any defensive snaps and was used solely for special teams during his Broncos regular-season debut. Payton said the coaching staff has faith in Sanders. But they have to find packages to get him involved.

“We’ll constantly look at our personnel and (find) ways guys can help us,” Payton said. “It’s not a trust issue.”

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