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--> --> Oakland falters at Denver 23-17 DENVER (AP) - Nobody could convince the Denver Broncos they had nothing to play for - not with the Oakland Raiders on the other sideline. Rod Smith caught eight passes, Terrell Davis rushed for 89 yards and the Denver defense held on in the fourth quarter as the Broncos delivered another blow to their rivals' playoff plans with a 23-17 victory over Oakland on Sunday. The Broncos (8-7) are eliminated from playoff contention, but it didn't show on the field or in the stands at the final home game of their first season at Invesco Field. Only about 5,000 fans didn't use their tickets, and the stadium shook furiously in the final minutes as the defense made four straight stops. The fans were rewarded by a gutsy, last-second win for the Broncos over the team that's taken their former perch atop the AFC West. "A lot of people said we didn't have anything to play for," said Smith, who set the franchise record for receptions and tied the record for TDs. "If you think you have nothing to play for, then play for the guy next to you. If we had done that all year, we would be preparing for the playoffs." After Jason Elam kicked a 42-yard field goal with 1:32 left, the Raiders moved to the Denver 17, but Rich Gannon threw two incompletions to the end zone before Kenoy Kennedy intercepted Gannon's fourth-down throw as time expired. "I had my hands over my eyes," said Denver coach Mike Shanahan, who gave his team the day off during the postgame locker room celebration. "I told our team that I think they're trying to kill me." The Raiders (10-5) clinched the AFC West title two weeks ago, but they seem to be doing their best to lose a first-round bye with three losses in five weeks of inconsistent play. The Raiders snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Broncos last month, but they haven't won in Denver since 1994. Coach Jon Gruden felt Oakland didn't exactly play poorly, but key penalties and turnovers made the difference. "Discipline is our problem," Gannon said. "We need to be more disciplined and detailed in every phase of the game. It's not a question of us playing hard. We play hard every week. ... I'll get scolded for saying that, but that's fine." Despite their dismal December, the Raiders still will get a bye if they beat the New York Jets at home next week and New England beats Carolina (1-14). "We've just got to go back and clean up everything," said Jerry Rice, who made all eight of his catches for 99 yards in the first half. "We've got to start from the bottom and look at ourselves. If we don't get that bye week, fine - as long as we clean up our mistakes." Smith, who has 106 catches, jogged into the end zone with a 12-yard TD catch that put the Broncos up 20-17 with 9:59 left. Oakland then failed to get past midfield on three straight drives. After an interception by Denver's Deltha O'Neal, a 70-yard TD catch by Jerry Rice was called back on a tripping penalty against guard Frank Middleton. The Raiders also turned the ball over meekly on downs with 2 minutes left. Denver couldn't sack Gannon once in its loss at Oakland last month, but the Broncos kept him under pressure this time. Early on, Bill Romanowski caused a fumble with a vicious hit on Gannon, setting up the Broncos' first field goal. Still, Gannon completed his first 16 passes until Charlie Garner dropped a simple screen toss with 8:40 left in the second quarter. Moments later, Garner leaped for a 6-yard TD catch. Gannon was 20-for-22 in the first half, and he completed six straight passes on the Raiders' first drive of the second half, hitting Jeremy Brigham for a 1-yard TD that turned out to be Oakland's final score. "We might not lead the league in grit, we might not have the youngest skilled players in football, but we are going to be there in the fourth quarter," Gruden said. "We are in the playoffs. We will be there when the postseason starts." Brian Griese, in his first start since missing most of three games with a concussion, was 19-of-26 for 142 yards while also rushing for a score. Davis had one of his best games of the season in what might have been his final home game with the Broncos. Denver doesn't think it will be able to afford to keep the oft-injured Davis, a free agent in the spring. "I walked off the field. That's very encouraging," Davis said. Notes: Rice got his 13th 1,000-yard receiving season. ... With a 34-yard run early in the second quarter, Davis passed Floyd Little to become the Broncos' career leader in yards from scrimmage. ... Smith passed Ed McCaffrey's team record of 101 catches in a season. Email your... 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