Texans Choke Against Raiders

Umm, that wasn't how that was supposed to go. Riding a wave of momentum after last week's upset win over the Titans, the Texans had two pansy opponents left on their 2008 schedule, with eyes on an even more successful 2009. The normally woeful Raiders pulled the rug out from under them on Sunday in a 27-16 loss, and now an 8-8 finish is the best they can hope for (again).

The typically potent Texans offense was ugly: Steve Slaton only rushed for 66 yards (someone please draft or sign a change-of-pace back this offseason), and Matt Schaub had his least-effective game of the season. Schaub was unable to connect with Kevin Walter on a 4th-and-short in the 4th quarter that might have given the moribund team some life.

Even though the Raiders (despite their crappy record) have one of the better secondaries in the NFL, the Texans should've performed much better against the team that's owned by a vampire. Despite a 4 game win streak, this Texans team showed that it is still far from perfect on a blustery day in Oakland. They're not the "frauds" that some hyperbolic local media types might like you to believe, but they're certainly far from perfect.

With one final chance at .500 looming at home against the Bears, the Texans need to get back to the elements that showed such promise this season: a balanced, aggressive offense and a hard-nosed defensive front. Show up next week at Reliant Stadium and cheer the team on: they're going to need all the positives they can get.
---
photo: flickr user presson_on