The Raiders Can’t Quite Turn Over a New Leaf, 17-13 : Pro football: Schroeder throws two interceptions, loses two fumbles as L.A. wastes a 13-7 lead over Elway and the Broncos.

DENVER —  Raider quarterback Jay Schroeder needed 10 yards for a first down.

He needed 61 yards for a touchdown.

But, most of all, he needed a miracle. Fading back to pass with 21 seconds to play in Sunday night’s season opener against the Broncos and Denver leading, 17-13, Schroeder saw a brief glimmer of hope down the middle.

He dropped his arm down and prepared to tuck the ball in for a desperate dash up the center of the field.

Maybe he could out-Elway John Elway after all. Maybe he could match Elway’s patented, 85-yard drive of a minute earlier, which put the Broncos ahead.

It was not to be.

Instead, Schroeder awkwardly banged the ball against his own leg as he started upfield and lost control, the ball flying out of his hands into those of the Broncos.

After five consecutive losses to the Raiders, two of them in Denver, the Broncos had finally prevailed before 75,418 at Mile High Stadium.

It was a fitting ending to a night of turnovers for the Raiders.

In all, they were guilty of five, as they wasted a 13-7 lead, third-quarter lead.

Schroeder was the guiltiest of all, with two interceptions and two fumbles.

“I feel it in my heart,” Schroeder said. “I’m very disappointed.”

Schroeder gave his critics, those clamoring for Todd Marinovich to get his job, enough material to last a week. Schroeder completed only seven of 24 passes for 181 yards.

The turnover epidemic ruined a strong defensive effort by the Raiders, especially during the first half, when they stopped Elway.

But you give Elway the ball enough times, and he is finally going to do something with it.

The tone for the game was set early when Schroeder put together an opening 10-play, 46-yard drive, spearheaded by the running of Eric Dickerson.

But when Schroeder faded to pass on the Denver 34-yard line, he suddenly found himself without the ball when Bronco linebacker Karl Mecklenburg reached in and knocked it away.

The Broncos’ Michael Brooks grabbed the ball and went 54 yards to put Denver ahead, 7-0.

On their next possession, the Raiders gave it away again, Schroeder throwing a pass that was intended for Mervyn Fernandez but was instead picked off by Le-Lo Lang.

Off-balance, under heavy pressure from Mike Croel, Schroeder, leaning backward, tried to throw across the field.

“That was poor judgment on my part,” Schroeder said. “I was going one way and I threw the other. I know better than that.”

Despite all of the Raiders’ problems, however, the Broncos were unable to take advantage. That’s because the Raiders were able to take advantage of left tackle Russell Freeman, who was thrown into the tough role of trying to jump from free agent to starter.

Anthony Smith did most of the jumping, running around Freeman nearly at will.

“That’s my job,” Smith said. “If you’ve a suspect (player) like that, you’ve got to take advantage. Russell Freeman is big, he’s strong, he’s quick and he’s got long arms. He’s going to be good.”

But not Sunday.

Smith got credit for two sacks. Linebackers Winston Moss and Aaron Wallace got one apiece.

The Broncos finished the first quarter with a minus-six total yards.

No matter. They had the lead until Nick Bell’s one-yard run during the second quarter tied the score.

Bell and Dickerson shared the rushing duties, Dickerson finishing with 22 carries for 58 yards, Bell with nine carries for 42 yards.

Two Jeff Jaeger field goals, from 41 and 34 yards, gave the Raiders a 13-7 lead during the third quarter.

David Treadwell’s 39-yard field goal on the final play of that period brought Denver within 13-10.

Schroeder opened the fourth quarter by throwing his second interception, Wymon Henderson picking off a pass down the left sideline intended for Willie Gault.

Nothing was working for the Raiders by then.

The running game, operating smoothly during the first half, was stalled during the second 30 minutes as the Denver defense tightened up.

Elway, on the other hand, was simply warming up. It was his time.

Eddie Anderson blunted one Bronco drive with an interception.

But when the Raiders couldn’t move the ball, they were forced to give Elway one last chance.

On Elway’s crucial pass to Arthur Marshall for 48 yards to set up the winning touchdown, Smith could only shake his head at what might have been.

“I don’t want to blame myself,” he said, “but I was so afraid he was going to run out of the pocket that I didn’t get a good hold of him. I had two sacks, but I could have had three or four. I let him get away.”

On the sidelines, Schroeder, too, could only shake his head. He has seen this act many times before.

“I’ve been watching him for nine years and two years in college,” said Schroeder, who played at UCLA while Elway was at Stanford. “It’s nothing new.”

Elway finished with 10 completions on 24 attempts for 171 yards. But the Raiders had 314 total yards to 200 for Denver.

Howie Long could only talk about the frustration.

“It was like being married for 15 years,” he said, “and then having your wife walk out on you.”