Texans just can't take prosperity. No excuse for getting physically whipped by Oakland. Schaub was not good, the play-calling was not good. They allowed the Raiders to take Johnson out of the game, although Schaub hardly looked his way. Except when he forced the ball in to him on the only turnover of the day. At no point during that play was Johnson even a little open, yet Schaub forced the throw and it was an easy interception for Chris Johnson.
So the Texans physically whipped the Titans a week ago and then got beat up in the trenches this week in Oakland??? That makes no sense. It sure looks like the Texans enjoyed their 4-game winning streak and their win over the Titans a little too much.
This is tremendously disappointed, but keeps fans and analysts from really believing they are a good football team.
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(RAIDERS 27-16, 1:22 4th Q)
During the 4-game winning streak, the defense was forcing punts. Their 4 opponents were just 9-43 (21%) on 3rd downs. Today the Raiders who were last in the league on 3rd downs are 7-14. ------------------------------------
(RAIDERS 27-16, 8:08 4th Q)
FAILURE. Coach Kubiak with some strange play-calling in side the 10 yard line again. Kubiak decides not to run the ball on 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1 and they turn it over on downs. Schaub throws to a very well-covered Walter on both plays. He never looked at Johnson who was wide open on 3rd down. Neither of the Texans two best players saw the ball on the two most important plays of the game.
Did I mention that Kubiak used a timeout before the 4th down play?
If you are going to go for it on 4th down, then why not run it on 3rd down??? They need two scores - why not get one by kicking the field goal??
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(RAIDERS 27-16, 9:34 4th Q)
Matt & I are sitting in studio here and following the field goal, he says to me, "Who's gonna make a play?" I had no answer, because I didn't expect there to be one. But there were the Raiders calling a play-action pass. Amobi Okoye read the play and was there to knock the ball free from Russell and Kevin Bentley pounced on it. Texans ball at the Raiders 14 yard line. Will the red zone be the Texans kryptonite one more time??
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(RAIDERS 27-16, 9:46 4th Q)
Chester Pitts sure picked a bad time to pick up a personal foul. After getting his helmet ripped off by Terdell Sands, Pitts took a swing at him. The refs only saw Pitts and the 15 yard play made it 3rd and goal from the 22 instead of 3rd and goal from the 7. Kris Brown connects on the 40 yard field goal, but again the Texans visit the red zone and don't get a touchdown. That is killing them.
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(RAIDERS 27-13, 5:37 3rd Q)
It's almost over now. The Texans were 6-0 when allowing 26 points or fewer. Higgins returns a punt 80 yards for a 2 touchdown lead for the Raiders at 27-13. It's Higgins 3rd punt return touchdown and the Texans are about to allow the Raiders highest point total of the season. They beat the Broncos 31-10 four weeks ago - the only time they've scored more than they have against the Texans. However there is still more than 20 minutes left in this game.
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(RAIDERS 20-13, 9:49 3rd Q)
Leave it to the Texans to make Russell look like an NFL quarterback. As he continues to get all kinds of time, he finds Higgins for the 29-yard score. The Raiders have thrown 2 TD passes in a game only 2 other times all season. Russell only had four 200-yard passing days in his 13 starts prior to today - he reached 218 yards on that TD toss.
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Suprisingly, Schaub only threw one pass Andre Johnson's way in the first half. It drew a pass interference, but the league's leading receiver does not have a catch. Asomugha has not been shadowing him exclusively, so it's doubly disappointing.
Schaub just 6-12 for 139 in the first half - neither team turned the ball over. Slaton just 30 yards rushing on 13 carries, but that inlcuding his 19 yard power run as he was held in check so far.
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(TIED 13-13, HALFTIME)
It's a good thing that the clock in Russell's head doesn't operate properly. With 7 seconds left in the half, Coach Cable allows Russell to drop back and throw one final pass, but he scrambles and finally hits Johnnie Lee Higgins for 23 yards and he's tackled immediately. But the clock already hit triple zeros. Either kick a 60-yarder or throw into the endzone. Texans escaped the first half with a tie game.
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(TIED 13-13, 0:38 2nd Q)
Again the Texans with some red zone issues, as they come up with just a field goal. They came up with nothing on 3rd and 1 from the 5. Slaton running left - ran right into Owen Daniels instead of taking it ot the wide open spaces to his left. At least 1 yards worth of wide open space. They couldn't take advantage of a great run after catch from David Anderson who caught a ten-yard dump off and took it 56 more yards down to the 14 yard line. Kevin Walter and Daniels both made huge blocks on the play.
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(Raiders 13-7, 13:00 2nd Q)
Raiders gain 159 yards in the first quarter and score all three times they have the football to lead 13-7 after the first 15 minutes. The Raiders averaged 42 yards in the 1st quarter of their previous 14 games. Texans defense was lucky enough to force a pair of field goals, they have produced no pass rush whatsoever on Russell who has had all day to pick apart the Texans.
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(Raiders 10-7, 3:42 1st Q)
Two 8-play drives last result in points for the Raiders. The Texans finally stop the Raiders on 3rd down after they allowed conversions on the first 3. Dunta Robinson took the brunt of the hit on Darren McFadden on 3rd and 1 for a loss of a yard. That forced the field goal try.
Texans not ready for the onside kick and the Raiders have it back.
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(TIED 7-7, 7:59 1st Q)
The offense looked just as sharp as they have all season and they score on their opening drive yet again. 4th time in 5 weeks the Texans scored a touchdown on their first touch. Speaking of first touch, Vonta Leach makes the most of his first carry of the season with the 1 yard plunge up the middle for the tying score.
Could this be a shootout? Only if Richard Smith wants to get back on the firing line.
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(Raiders 7-0, 10:34 1st Q )
Texans should be embarassed after the Raiders scored a touchdown on the opening drive for the first time on over a year. The Raiders convert the lower percentage of their third downs and they were 2-2 on that drive including a perfectly executed 20 yard TD pass to Chaz Schilens. Schilens easily slid past Jacques Reeves and hauled in the very easy toss from JaMarcus Russell.
It's just Russell's 10th TD toss of the year - it's Schilens 10th catch ALL YEAR. Terrible start.
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I'll be here all afternoon with my thoughts on this afternoon's tilt between the Raiders and Texans.
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