Chris Harris Jr. 74-yard Interception Return (2015)

On October 11, 2015, in a road meeting at Oakland Coliseum, Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. intercepted a pass from Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The Broncos won the game 16–10, and Harris's interception return provided the decisive scoring swing that broke a tie or narrow margin late in the contest [11]. The game was a defensive struggle for both teams, with neither offense able to produce sustained explosive drives. Harris's interception returned for a touchdown shifted the scoreboard and concluded the game's decisive sequence: the defensive score proved the difference-maker, leaving little time for Oakland to respond. The play is recorded in team recaps and rivalry summaries as a momentum-shifting defensive highlight that delivered a Denver road victory against their division rival [11].

The interception matters because it exemplifies how defensive plays can determine outcomes in Broncos–Raiders contests. Chris Harris Jr.'s 74-yard return is remembered as a turning-point moment in the 2015 season for Denver and as a painful late-game collapse for Oakland, reinforcing the rivalry's pattern of defense-driven close finishes [11].

The Broncos used the victory to bolster their division standing in 2015 and to validate defensive game plans against Derek Carr's Oakland offense. For Harris the play added to his reputation as a playmaker in divisional games; for the Raiders, the loss highlighted the importance of turnover avoidance in divisional rivalry matchups [11].