Three straight times Sunday, close to the goal line in the second quarter, running back Justin Fargas smashed into the line.

Three straight times he was short.

Fargas even ran off tackle on a play wiped out by a Broncos timeout preceding his third run and still ended up rushing up his linemen's backs into the arms of waiting Broncos defenders when the play counted.

An ensuing false start just exacerbated the frustrations of Raiders Nation and led to a field goal, adding to an eventual streak of 206 straight plays without a touchdown dating to Oct. 26.

But something changed on the 201st snap of that dubious stretch.

Maligned Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell used the big arm that prompted his selection at the No. 1 overall pick of 2007 and completed a 51-yard bomb in tight coverage to, brace yourselves Broncos fans, Ashley Lelie.

It wasn't long before the Raiders did something even more unheard of than their earlier, head-scratching play selection. They went on three straight drives to touchdowns.

The 21-point second half sealed a 31-10 victory at Invesco Field and left a Broncos defense that had yielded only four first-half first downs as the ones shaking their noggins in disbelief.

"We played with confidence," said Lelie, a career deep threat who held out of workouts in Denver before the 2006 season, prompting a trade that sent him on a journey to three teams in his post-Broncos career. "I didn't see that for the last couple games."

It barely has been visible this season.

The Raiders entered their rematch of the opener last in the NFL in scoring (12.8), passing offense (136.9), completion percentage (49.6), touchdowns (10), rushing touchdowns (three), passing touchdowns (six) and third-down percentage (22.1).

When they were done, Russell had completed all but one of his 11 attempts and didn't turn over the ball. Lelie had a game-high 92 receiving yards. And Oakland gained 118 of its 158 rushing yards in the second half, with Fargas finishing with 107 yards on 24 carries.

"Any team that starts believing has a chance," Broncos middle linebacker Spencer Larsen said.

A Broncos turnover and two missed field-goal attempts in the first half fueled that belief.

An 89-yard punt return by Johnnie Lee Higgins got the mojo working some more. And when Lelie made his long catch, Oakland forgot it was offensively inept.

Two of the Raiders' scoring drives were 70 yards or longer. Those are distances usually reserved for Sebastian Janikowski field-goal attempts and Shane Lechler open-field punts into the opponent's end zone, not offensive production.

"I told the guys all this week, 'Do not sleep on this team.' " Broncos defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban said. "We got our butts handed to us in Kansas City, and with a young team, you tend to relax a little bit and think we're just going to come in here and win. But every game they've been in has been close in the fourth quarter. They just haven't found a way to win. Unfortunately, they found a way."

Darren McFadden had two 1-yard scoring runs after interim Raiders coach Tom Cable finally decided to avoid Fargas in close. Lelie added a 4-yard scoring catch.

That production comes after Oakland was shut out against Atlanta, scored six points against Carolina and had another Higgins runback account for the only touchdown in a loss to Miami.

The 31 points were only 19 fewer than the team's combined scoring total in the six previous games played after Lane Kiffin was fired four games into the season.

"It's been wearing on me, just hearing that," Raiders tight end Zach Miller said of the public scrutiny heaped on the offense during their recent futile run. "I've been saying to myself the whole time, 'I wish we'd score just so we could get these reporters off our backs about scoring.' We knew we could score. I just knew it would take one and it would open up. And as soon as we got the first one (Sunday) - which should have come earlier in the game but didn't - we kept building on it."

The harsh words now likely will swing back to the Broncos defense, which had played so aggressively the previous week in Atlanta but reverted to the shaky unit that has appeared all too often this season. Oakland had 318 yards, its fourth-highest output all season.

"It was just momentum," Broncos defensive end Jarvis Moss said. "They got momentum on their side and ran with it."