Here are the heroes and zeros from the Broncos’ 17-16 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon.

Heroes

Broncos run game: Running back Javonte Williams might become a case study. For a player who tore his ACL a year ago, he didn’t miss a beat. Williams carried the ball 13 times for 52 yards, including an 11-yard gain in the first half. Samaje Perine, whom Denver signed in the offseason, was even more effective with 78 total yards and a 20-yard reception in the final seconds of the third. Williams and Perine ran like two armored trucks — both hard to bring down with their legs always churning for extra yards.

Alex Singleton: Alex Singleton was all over the field Sunday. The inside linebacker, who finished with a team-best eight tackles, constantly flew into the backfield to stop Broncos killer Josh Jacobs, who was held to 48 yards on 19 carries. He also had one of the biggest plays of the game in the third quarter when he tipped Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s pass in the end zone before safety Kareem Jackson intercepted the ball.

Russell Wilson: Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson might not be cooked after all. He was solid against the Raiders, scrambling out of the pocket and completing passes in tight windows. On the Broncos’ first drive of the game, he went 7 for 8 with 68 yards and a touchdown to Lil’Jordan Humphrey. In the second quarter, he led an impressive two-minute drive that ended with a 5-yard scoring pass to wideout Courtland Sutton. Wilson clearly benefited from having a coach who knows how to use him. Now he needs to finish.

Zeros

Special teams: Sean Payton might have the entire special teams unit run laps this week. The unit had two big plays ruined due to flags. The Broncos’ risky onside kick to start the game resulted in them recovering the ball. But cornerback Tremon Smith was called for illegal touching. Rookie Marvin Mims Jr. saw his first return for 28 yards called back due to Justin Strnad’s hold. Meanwhile, Brett Maher, who is now with the Los Angeles Rams, was probably smiling after Wil Lutz botched an extra point and missed a 55-yard field goal.

Broncos’ mental discipline:  Flags weren’t just an issue on special teams. The Broncos committed 10 penalties for 83 yards, with mental errors at the worst times. In the fourth quarter, cornerback Essang Bassey was called for roughing the passer, giving Las Vegas an extra 15 yards after a Jakobi Meyers reception. Two plays later, Meyers caught the go-ahead touchdown pass. The Broncos were down 17-16 with three minutes left in the fourth and badly needed a stop on third down, but Jackson was called for unnecessary roughness for a late hit on Meyers, which led to the wideout being helped off the field. Denver never got the ball back.

Damarri Mathis: Mathis might want his performance wiped away from existence. The second-year cornerback couldn’t keep up with Meyers, and Garoppolo took advantage. Mathis allowed two touchdowns from Meyers, including the go-ahead score in the fourth. Mathis was also called for defensive pass interference in the third, but Jackson’s interception bailed him out.

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