The Denver Broncos may have escaped with a 10-7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10, but the game itself was not the only thing drawing attention afterward. What unfolded on the field was messy, historic, and largely forgettable, yet off the field, NFL host Charissa Thompson delivered a reminder that Denver still holds a deeper meaning for her nearly 20 years after her career began.
Charissa Thompson Reflects on Her Denver Roots
After the Thursday Night Football broadcast, Thompson shared a personal post on Instagram that traced her professional start back to Colorado.
She wrote, “Week 10 took us to Denver for @nflonprime & I always love when I get to come back to Colorado. My first on air job was in Denver back in 2006 when I worked for the Colorado Rockies ( see last picture, my first headshot photo 😂). Almost 20 years later I’m reminded of how grateful I am that I still get to do the job I love , with people that I adore 🧡”
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Thompson’s on-air path spans ESPN, Fox Sports, Amazon Prime Video, and more, but her message was not about credentials. It was about gratitude and longevity. The timing of the post created a contrast with the game itself, which was defined not by progress but by setbacks and penalties.
For Thompson, Denver represents where things began. For the Broncos and Raiders, Week 10 instead reflected how quickly things can fall apart on a field.
Broncos-Raiders Week 10 and the Numbers Behind the Sloppy Game
According to Bill Smith of Next Gen Stats, this matchup marked only the second game since 1950 in which both teams finished with more penalties than first downs.
Each team recorded 10 first downs but committed 11 penalties, costing the Raiders 83 yards and the Broncos 78. The only other time it happened was in 1976 between two winless expansion teams, a comparison that shows how unusual and undisciplined the game was.
The offensive profile of both teams entering Week 10 helps explain why it unfolded the way it did.
PFSN’s Offense Impact metric ranked the Broncos 16th in the league with a score of 75.7, while the Raiders sat at 30th with 64.3. The Broncos held an 8-2 record compared to the Raiders at 2-7, and averaged 23.5 points per game to the Raiders’ 15.4.
The Broncos also led in yards per play (5.30 to 4.80), passing touchdowns (18 to 11), and rushing touchdowns (10 to 4). Even turnovers, an issue for both teams, still favored the Broncos (12 to 14).
Yet none of those numbers prevented a game full of three-and-outs, blocked punts, and stalled drives. The Broncos opened with four straight failed possessions, and the Raiders went an entire third quarter without a first down. The only scoring outside the two touchdown drives came from a field goal set up by a blocked punt, which gained negative yardage.
The contrast is clear. The box score told a story of regression and penalties. Thompson’s post told one of appreciation and perspective. The Raiders and Broncos may have walked away from Week 10 with a stat line that history will remember for the wrong reasons, but Thompson walked away with something else, a reminder that careers, unlike games, can grow past their early flaws.