It's the second week in November and the Raiders are 7-2 and alone in first place in the AFC West. That's right, the Raiders -- the same outfit that last had a winning season when Derek Carr was 11 years old -- hasn't played this well this late in the season since 2002. In fact, Oakland has finished at .500 or below every season from 2003-15, and while there was optimism over the summer that this might be the year they finally put it all together, there's also the 13 years of futility to help keep everything in perspective.

And yet here we are, after the Raiders' most impressive outing of the season, a 30-20 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos.

Denver entered the game as one of the league's top defenses, but it was without Aqib Talib and Kayvon Webster, lost Derek Wolfe in the second half and dealt with Brandon Marshall being hobbled by a hamstring. But excuses, as they say, are for losers, and there isn't a team that's completely healthy with two months to go.

But if the Broncos can't dominate defensively, they're in trouble. Because this isn't the 2013 squad that featured Peyton Manning lobbing 3.5 touchdowns a game. This is an offense that can kindly be described as anemic, particularly when it's forced to be one dimensional.

A big part of that has to do with Trevor Siemian, the second-year quarterback who didn't see the field as a rookie. Not surprisingly, he has struggled with consistency through the first half of the season, and there's no reason to think he'll suddenly get it down the stretch. Which is why the defense -- like it did all the way to the Lombardi Trophy last season -- has to do the heavy lifting.

Sunday's performance tells a different story, however; the Raiders and their ninth-rated rushing attack steamrolled the Broncos' second-ranked defense. You don't see that everyday, and if it's a harbinger of things to come, Denver has much bigger worries than winning the division. As it stands, the Broncos are 6-3 and are currently No. 3 in the AFC West, behind the Raiders and 6-2 Chiefs.

Put another way: We all had a good laugh when John Elway joked, "A lot of times deals you don't make are the best ones," when discussing Brock Osweiler's decision in March to spurn the Broncos for the four-year, $72 million deal he signed with the Texans. And while no one thinks Osweiler is an upgrade over Siemian (Osweiler is the NFL's worst starting quarterback, according to Football Outsiders), Siemian is, at best, replacement-level. He's a backup, and nothing more.

The good news: Denver drafted Paxton Lynch late in the first round for decidedly less than $72 million (four years, $9.5 million). The bad news: There's no indication that he's ready to lead this offense.

Here are six more takeaways from the Raiders' big win.

1. We really do have to consider Derek Carr a legit MVP candidate, right?

It's hard to argue with the raw stats, especially after what Carr did last week, throwing for a franchise-record 513 yards -- along with four touchdowns and no interceptions -- in a win over the Buccaneers. The numbers weren't nearly as gaudy against the Broncos -- 20 of 31 for 184 yards, no TDs, no picks -- but they didn't need to be; the running game and a maligned defense were more than enough.

But Carr was also efficient, generally made good decisions, and avoided mistakes. You know, all things Peyton did, and Tom Brady and Drew Brees still do -- on the rare occasions when they're not the centerpiece of the offense.

Carr came into Sunday night's game ranked fourth in total QB value, but TheMMQB.com's Andy Benoit wrote last week that Carr isn't as good as we think -- at least not yet. And this isn't your garden-variety hot take; Benoit, who watches more film than anybody in the media, has studied Carr, and his conclusions are not only reasonable but encouraging.

The [MVP] coronation seems natural, but the film tells a different story. What's been apparent almost every week (except last Sunday) is that Carr's accuracy is improving but still isn't always commensurate with his considerable arm talent. Uneven drop-back footwork is often to blame. Carr can sometimes get away with it because he is a fluid, athletic thrower who can sling fastballs or float touch passes. But too often he misses on many routine throws.

Let's be clear before the Twitter rampages ensue: all of this analysis falls under the banner of The Higher Standard that Carr should be held to. He's gifted enough to one day become a top-tier QB, but he's not there yet. He must sharpen his play.

You know who else you could say that about right now? Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers, and they've been in the league for over a decade.

But that's a testament to how far coach Jack Del Rio has brought the Raiders in such a short time. It's November, and we're not talking about hot seats or a draft that's six months away, but an Oakland team that is leading the division thanks in large part to its young franchise quarterback. A quarterback who has played extremely well, but has room to get a lot better.

2016 remains a weird, weird year.

2. The Raiders running game dominated

Latavius Murray finished with 114 yards and three touchdowns and Jalen Richard added 62 yards on an evening when the Broncos were helpless to do much about it. That was made abundantly clear early in the game, as evidenced by these halftime stats:

There's more: The Broncos averaged 2.9 yards per rush while the Raiders were at a 6.9-yard clip. The first-half domination was as thorough as it was convincing.

3. That domination extended to special teams too

Specifically, punter Marquette King, who after pinning the Broncos inside their own 5-yard line, celebrated like so:

But King isn't just a great punter -- and dancer. He's also a philosopher:

Live it. Learn it. Know it.

4. So when might we see Paxton Lynch?

Expect to hear that question a lot in the coming days and weeks, particularly if Siemian continues to play like a former seventh-round pick who is short on experience. Again, the offense's struggles don't rest solely with him, but there's also no denying he has to play much, much better.

For example, here's how the Broncos' first four offensive series went: The first two drives yielded 2 yards, two punts and Siemian was 0 for 5. By the third drive, the offense had 9 total yards and Siemian was 1 for 7, and by the fourth drive, he was 1 for 8.

And then with just over eight minutes left in the first half -- and shortly after the Broncos got their first first down of the game -- things finally clicked on drive No. 5 when Siemian dropped this dime for a 36-yard score to cut Oakland's lead to 13-7:

So that was the bright spot. Siemian also threw a late interception, lost a fumble and struggled with accuracy, and at no point did he seem capable of leading the Broncos back from that early deficit.

Maybe Elway's plan is to let Lynch sit and learn no matter what this season, and let him battle for the job in training camp. And that's fine. But if the idea is to get back to the playoffs in 2016, something has to change, and the most obvious place to start is with the quarterback.

5. All is not lost, Broncos fans

Here's your silver lining: History says Denver has a 73 percent chance to make the playoffs. Of course, the Chiefs are currently sitting at 81 percent and the Raiders are now at 90 percent, but in a conference where the 5-3 Texans lead the AFC South and the 4-4 Ravens lead the AFC North, there are worse predicaments.

6. Next up

The Broncos face the Saints in New Orleans and the Raiders are now on their bye week.