LAS VEGAS (AP) — The music could clearly be heard outside the doors to the Broncos' locker room, the players inside truly enjoying finally getting to experience a victory in Las Vegas.
Bo Nix passed for 273 yards and had two touchdown passes to break the team's rookie record Sunday, and Denver beat the reeling Raiders 29-19.
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Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo (5) catches a fake punt during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) throws against the Denver Broncos during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Denver Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian tackles Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (11) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Denver Broncos place kicker Wil Lutz (3) celebrates his field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton pulls in a touchdown pass as Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones (18) defends during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) celebrates a tackle for a loss against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The Broncos (7-5) took another step toward an unexpected playoff spot with their second victory in a row.
“A year ago, we don't win that game,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “It wasn't our best, but it was good enough. We're on to the next one, so we have a lot to clean up, but it was good to handle these guys for a second time.”
The Broncos won the first meeting 34-18 in Denver on Oct. 6 to end an eight-game losing streak to the Raiders.
Las Vegas (2-9) has lost seven consecutive games, its longest skid since the 2017-18 seasons.
“I never doubt the mindset of everybody in that locker room,” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “Everybody shows up every day with the mindset to get better, so that's all you can ask for.”
Nix finished 25 of 42, and his 18-yard touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton in the third quarter broke the club rookie record of 14 TD passes set by Marlin Briscoe in 1968. Nix and Sutton later hooked up for a 2-yard TD with 5:30 left to give the Broncos a two-possession lead.
Those plays helped erase a 13-9 halftime deficit. The Broncos outscored Las Vegas 20-6 in the second half after adjusting to the Raiders' willingness to repeatedly bring more pressure than anticipated.
“We had to shift that mindset,” Nix said. “We went into the game expecting (some). We had some calls for it, so now we had to get to those and adjust to them. I thought we did a good job handling the pressure, getting some more 1-on-1s.”
Denver lost its previous four games at Allegiant Stadium. This also was the Broncos' first road win in this series since defeating the then-Oakland Raiders on Oct. 11, 2015.
“I think the tide is turning,” Sutton said. “The Broncos are in a spot where we want to be back in the AFC West, and I think that's a really exciting spot to be in. Job's not finished.”
Sutton caught eight passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns to extend his streak of 70-yard games to five. That's the longest streak by a Broncos player since Demaryius Thomas' eight straight in 2014.
Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew landed hard on his left shoulder late in the game and was replaced by Desmond Ridder. Minshew will miss the rest of the season with a broken collarbone, according to multiple reports.
Minshew completed 25 of 42 passes for 230 yards, with a touchdown and interception. The best passing play, however, came on a fake punt when AJ Cole completed a 34-yard pass to linebacker Divine Deablo to set up a second-quarter field goal.
That was one of four field goals by Daniel Carlson, whose duel with Broncos counterpart Will Lutz kept Las Vegas in the game. They combined to make all nine of their attempts, including three from more than 50 yards.
Jakobi Meyers caught 10 passes for 121 yards. That’s his best game since 2020, when Meyers played for the New England Patriots and caught 12 passes for 169 yards against the New York Jets.
Crosby recorded his 100th tackle for loss in the second quarter, becoming the fourth player to reach that number since at least 1999 in his first six seasons. The others were J.J. Watt, Aaron Donald and DeMarcus Ware.
The Raiders are a shell of themselves. They played this game without their top two running backs as well as two starters at cornerback, two on the defensive line and one at safety.
“Credit Vegas,” Payton said. “They came out and had some fire about them, but they lost.”
Raiders special teams coordinator Tom McMahon did not coach, but no reason was provided. Derius Swinton II handled those duties.
Broncos: CB Riley Moss (knee) left the game late in the first half. DE Zach Allen (heel) didn't play.
Raiders: RBs Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quadriceps) and CBs Nate Hobbs (ankle) and Jakorian Bennett (shoulder) did not play.
Broncos: Host Cleveland on Monday, Dec. 2.
Raiders: At Kansas City on Friday afternoon.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo (5) catches a fake punt during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) throws against the Denver Broncos during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Denver Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian tackles Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (11) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Denver Broncos place kicker Wil Lutz (3) celebrates his field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton pulls in a touchdown pass as Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones (18) defends during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) celebrates a tackle for a loss against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguay's leftist opposition candidate, Yamandú Orsi, claimed victory in a tight presidential runoff Sunday, ousting the conservative governing coalition and making the South American nation the latest to rebuke the incumbent party in a year of landmark elections.
Even as the vote count continued, Álvaro Delgado, the presidential candidate of the center-right ruling coalition, conceded defeat to his challenger.
“With sadness, but without guilt, we can congratulate the winner,” he told supporters at his campaign headquarters in the capital of Montevideo
Fireworks erupted over the stage where Orsi, 57, a working-class former history teacher and two-time mayor from Uruguay's Broad Front coalition, thanked his supporters as crowds flocked to greet him.
“The country of liberty, equality and fraternity has triumphed once again,” he said, vowing to unite the nation of 3.4 million people after such a tight vote.
“Let's understand that there is another part of our country who have different feelings today," he said. “These people will also have to help build a better country. We need them too.”
With nearly all the votes counted, electoral officials reported that Orsi won just over 49% of the vote, ahead of Delgado’s 46%. The rest cast blank votes or abstained in defiance of Uruguay's enforced compulsory voting. Turnout reached almost 90%.
While failing to entice apathetic young voters, Uruguay's lackluster electoral campaigns steered clear of the anti-establishment fury that has vaulted populist outsiders to power elsewhere in the world, like in the United States and neighboring Argentina.
After weeks in which the moderate rivals appeared tied in the polls, Delgado's concession ushers in Orsi as Uruguay’s new leader and cuts short the center-right Republican coalition's shot at governing. The 2019 election of President Luis Lacalle Pou spelled an end to 15 consecutive years of rule by the Broad Front.
“I called Yamandú Orsi to congratulate him as President-elect of our country,” Lacalle Pou wrote on social media platform X, adding that he would “put myself at his service and begin the transition as soon as I deem it appropriate.”
Orsi's victory was the latest sign that simmering discontent over post-pandemic economic malaise favors anti-incumbent candidates. In the many elections that took place during 2024, voters frustrated with the status quo have punished ruling parties from the U.S. and Britain to South Korea and Japan.
But unlike elsewhere in the world, Orsi is a moderate with no radical plans for change. He largely agrees with his opponent on key voter concerns like driving down the childhood poverty rate, now at a staggering 25%, and containing an upsurge in organized crime that has shaken the nation long considered among Latin America's safest.
Despite Orsi's promise to lead a “new left” in Uruguay, his platform resembles the mix of market-friendly policies and welfare programs that characterized the Broad Front’s tenure from 2005-2020.
The coalition of leftist and center-left parties presided over a period of robust economic growth and pioneering social reforms that won widespread international acclaim.
The driving force behind Uruguay’s legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and sale of marijuana a decade ago was former President José “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-Marxist guerilla who became a global icon and mentor to Orsi.
Mujica, now 89 and recovering from esophageal cancer, turned up at his local polling station before balloting even began on Sunday to praise Orsi’s humility and Uruguay’s proud stability.
“This is no small feat,” he said of his nation's “citizenry that respects formal institutions.”
Specific proposals by Orsi include tax incentives to lure investment and revitalize the critical agricultural sector, as well as social security reforms that would lower the retirement age but fall short of a radical overhaul sought by Uruguay’s unions that failed to pass in the Oct. 27 general election during which neither front-runner secured an outright majority.
In keeping with the nation’s reputation for being sensible, voters rejected generous pay-outs and the redistribution of privately managed pension funds in favor of fiscal constraint.
He is also likely to scupper a trade agreement with China that Lacalle Pou had pursued to the chagrin of Mercosur, an alliance of South American nations promoting regional commerce.
“He’s my candidate, not only for my sake but also for my children’s,” said Yeny Varone, a nurse at a polling station who voted for Orsi.“In the future they’ll have better working conditions, health and salaries.”
Delgado, 55, a rural veterinarian with a long career in the National Party, served most recently as Secretary of the Presidency for Lacalle Pou and campaigned under the slogan “re-elect a good government.”
With inflation easing and the economy expected to expand by some 3.2% this year, Delgado has promised to continue pursuing his predecessor’s pro-business policies. Lacalle Pou, who constitutionally cannot run for a second consecutive term, has enjoyed high approval ratings.
But the official results trickling in Sunday showed that mounting complaints in Uruguay about years of sluggish economic growth, stagnant wages and the government’s struggle to contain crime after five years helped swing the election against Delgado.
Still, Orsi struck a conciliatory tone.
“I will be the president who calls for national dialogue again and again, who builds a more integrated society and country,” he said, adding that he would get to work immediately.
“Starting tomorrow, I'll have to work very hard, there's a lot to do,” he told The Associated Press from the glass-walled NH Columbia hotel, thronged friends and colleagues embracing and congratulating him.
The win after such the hard-fought race, he said, gave him a “a strange feeling that I think takes a while to come to terms with.”
His government will take office on March 1, 2025.
Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Villa Tunari, Bolivia, contributed to this report.
Supporters of the Broad Front (Frente Amplio) celebrate the victory of candidate Yamandú Orsi in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Supporters of Alvaro Delgado, presidential candidate for the ruling National Party, listen to early results from pollsters at the party's campaign night headquarters in Montevideo, Uruguay, after polls closed in the presidential run-off election, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Supporters of the Broad Front (Frente Amplio) celebrate the victory of candidate Yamandú Orsi in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Supporters of Alvaro Delgado, presidential candidate for the ruling National Party, listen to early results from pollsters at the party's campaign night headquarters in Montevideo, Uruguay, after polls closed in the presidential run-off election, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Supporters of Yamandu Orsi, candidate for the Broad Front (Frente Amplio), celebrate early results after polls closed in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Supporters of Alvaro Delgado, presidential candidate for the ruling National Party, listen to early results from pollsters at the party's campaign night headquarters in Montevideo, Uruguay, after polls closed in the presidential run-off election, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Supporters of the Broad Front (Frente Amplio) celebrate the victory of candidate Yamandú Orsi in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Yamandu Orsi, candidate for the Broad Front (Frente Amplio), addresses supporters after winning the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Supporters of the Broad Front (Frente Amplio) celebrate the victory of candidate Yamandú Orsi in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Orbach)
Supporters of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) celebrate the victory of candidate Yamandú Orsi in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Yamandu Orsi, candidate for the Broad Front (Frente Amplio), and running mate Carolina Cosse, left, celebrate their victory in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Alvaro Delgado, presidential candidate for the ruling National Party, concedes defeat in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Alvaro Delgado, presidential candidate for the ruling National Party, concedes defeat in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Yamandu Orsi, candidate for the Broad Front (Frente Amplio), and running mate Carolina Cosse, right, celebrate their victory in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Yamandu Orsi, candidate for the Broad Front (Frente Amplio), and running mate Carolina Cosse, left, celebrate their victory in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Yamandu Orsi, candidate for the Broad Front (Frente Amplio), addresses supporters after winning the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Alvaro Delgado, presidential candidate for the ruling National Party, concedes defeat in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Yamandu Orsi, candidate for the Broad Front (Frente Amplio), and running mate Carolina Cosse, right, celebrate their victory in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Yamandu Orsi, candidate for the Broad Front (Frente Amplio) and running mate Carolina Cosse, right, celebrate after polls closed in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Supporters of Yamandu Orsi, candidate for the Broad Front (Frente Amplio), walk a dog decorated with the party's colors after polls closed in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Supporters of Yamandu Orsi, candidate for the Broad Front (Frente Amplio), ride after polls closed in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Claudia Noble stands outside the Broad Front's (Frente Amplio) election night headquarters after polls closed for the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Alvaro Delgado, candidate for the ruling National Party, talks to a boy after voting in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Orbach)
Alvaro Delgado, candidate for the ruling National Party, waves to supporters after voting accompanied by his wife Leticia Lateulade, right, in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Orbach)
Yeni Varone, a nurse, casts her vote in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A voter wrapped in a flag of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) arrives to a polling station to vote in the presidential run-off in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Pedestrians pass by Uruguay's national flag and political party banners for sale on the day of the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A voter chooses his preference at polling station in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Yamandu Orsi, presidential candidate from the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) talks to a boy after voting in the presidential run-off election in Canelones, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
A woman votes in the presidential run-off election in Canelones, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Yamandu Orsi, presidential candidate from the Frente Amplio (Broad Front), talks to journalists after voting in the presidential run-off election in Canelones, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
A voter seals his ballot during the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Uruguay's former President Jose "Pepe" Mujica sits inside a polling station while waiting to vote in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Ballots of Frente Amplio presidential candidate Yamandu Orsi with running mate Carolina Cosse sit on a table outside a polling station in the presidential run-off election in Canelones, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Yamandu Orsi, presidential candidate from the Frente Amplio (Broad Front), arrives to vote in the presidential run-off election in Canelones, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Voters line up at a polling station during the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Alvaro Delgado, candidate for the ruling National Party, waves after voting in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A voter wrapped in a flag of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) arrives to a polling station to vote in the presidential run-off in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Alvaro Delgado, candidate for the ruling National Party, votes in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Uruguay's former President Jose "Pepe" Mujica votes in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Yamandu Orsi, presidential candidate from the Frente Amplio (Broad Front), votes in the presidential run-off election in Canelones, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Pedestrians pass by Uruguay's national flag and political party banners for sale on the day of the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A voter casts his ballot for the presidential run-off election in Canelones, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
A ray of light illuminates a poster of Frente Amplio presidential candidate Yamandu Orsi on a street wall covered in ads ahead of the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A poster of Alvaro Delgado, presidential candidate for the ruling National Party, covers a building ahead of the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Supporters of Alvaro Delgado, presidential candidate for the ruling National Party, attend his closing rally ahead of the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)
Alvaro Delgado, presidential candidate for the ruling National Party, holds his closing rally ahead of the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)
Children hold up masks of Frente Amplio presidential candidate Yamandu Orsi as they wait for the start of his closing rally ahead of the presidential run-off election in Las Piedras, Uruguay, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Frente Amplio presidential candidate Yamandu Orsi holds his closing rally ahead of the presidential run-off election in Las Piedras, Uruguay, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Supporters of Broad Front coalition presidential candidate Yamandu Orsi campaign one day ahead of the presidential run-off election, in Montevideo, Uruguay, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FILE - This photo combo shows presidential frontrunner Yamandu Orsi, left, of the Broad Front coalition, on Oct. 22, 2024, and opponent, National Party candidate Alvaro Delgado, on Nov. 20, 2024, both in Montevideo, Uruguay. (AP Photo Matilde Campodonico, left; and AP Photo Santiago Mazzarovich, File)
