All those things the Broncos said were going to be fixed still aren't and as a result, the Raiders pounded out a 30-20 win Sunday night and Denver surrendered 218 yards rushing in a loss that dropped them to 6-3 and third place in the AFC West. (1:00)

OAKLAND, Calif. -- On a night when it was clear the Oakland Raiders wanted to deliver a message and flex a little muscle in prime time, the Denver Broncos showed that, in their current state, they aren't strong enough to stop them.

The Broncos have spent much of the past five seasons running things in the AFC West. But as of Sunday night, after getting shoved around in a 30-20 loss in Oakland, the Broncos aren't in first place, and things they've said could be repaired were at heart of the failure.

"Across the board, we weren't good enough,'' said coach Gary Kubiak. "Offensively we got off to a horrible start.''

The Broncos opened the game in an unsightly stupor, as if they had turned the clock back to 2010 or early 2011. Quarterback Trevor Siemian missed on his first six throws. The team opened with four consecutive three-and-outs for the first time since 2011, when Tim Tebow was at quarterback. They rallied at times, but they still have issues, and unless they find a way to repair those issues, there will be more nights like Sunday.

"We've got to play a hell of a lot better than we did,'' Kubiak said.

The Broncos learned that there is a drop-off from cornerback Aqib Talib to whomever else plays. Bradley Roby is a future starter, but Talib was playing at an All-Pro level when he suffered a back injury that has kept him out of two games. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr went after Roby plenty, especially in the first half.

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The Broncos learned that their run game isn’t an adjustment or two from being what they want it to be. The Raiders were 28th in run defense coming into the game, and the Broncos couldn't carve out any room before they were forced into pass-first mode.

The Broncos learned that their plan on the offensive line still isn’t bearing fruit. A team with a first-year starter at quarterback, a rookie running back and a rookie fullback needs the guys up front to make things happen. Beyond the screen pass that turned into a 69-yard catch-and-run touchdown for Kapri Bibbs in the fourth quarter, there weren't many moments Sunday when the Broncos' offense looked in control at the line of scrimmage.

They learned that their run defense continues to be out of sorts and that being No. 1 against the pass and among the league’s sack leaders will matter less and less if teams pound away the way the Raiders did. Oakland had 124 yards rushing at halftime and 173 yards by the end of the third quarter and finished with 213 yards on the ground.

Most of all, the Broncos learned that their reign in the AFC West is tenuous. They have won the past five division titles, but adding a sixth is going to take plenty more than they showed Sunday. In a prime-time moment against a team looking to make a point, the Broncos had no response.

"We've got to get back to basics,'' said cornerback Chris Harris Jr. "There's a lot of season left, we didn't lose a championship in this one and they didn't win a championship ... But we have to fix some things, no doubt.''

On so many other nights, ugly starts were little more than inconvenience, and their flaws mere annoyances to be dealt with later. But the Broncos are now nine games into whatever becomes of this season, and opponents keep chipping away at them, picking at the things they haven’t done well. On Sunday, the Broncos used up their remaining room for error. They have officially been knocked off their pedestal.