Saturday, January 7th
Wildcard Weekend
(5) Oakland Raiders (12-4) vs. (4) Houston Texans (9-7)
NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
4:35 P.M. ET
The Playoff Picture is official.#NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/xnmwYZ10Zu
— NFL (@NFL) January 2, 2017
The lead into Wildcard Weekend this season appears to be a dud on the surface. With Texans’ quarterback Brock Osweiler being benched in week 16 for poor play, and Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr going down with a broken leg, the passing game may not be all that impressive. The Raiders will look to lean on the ground game that ranked 6th in the NFL this season in yards per game. The Texanns will look to do the same. Biggest difference here is the Texans defense is much better than the Raiders defense.
The Raiders should have been a clear cut favorite to win this contest, but without Derek Carr, who put up Pro Bowl-caliber numbers this season, this postseason doesn’t contain the excitement it should for a team that has gone 14 years without a playoff berth. Oakland will send rookie Connor Cook out under center after Matt McGloin failed miserably in week 17, costing the Raiders the AFC West title. The loss forces Oakland who won 12 games this season to play on the road against the Texans. McGloin also received an injury in the game against the Denver Broncos. If Oakland’s offensive line can stop the Texans’ pass attack, the rookie signal caller may turn some heads and bring hope back to the Bay Area.
Overall, these two teams have played each other ten previous times, with the Texans winning six of them. Lately, however, has been a different story, as Oakland has taken three out of the last four meetings. These two teams met in a game earlier this season, where the Raiders came away with 27-20 victory behind a strong, three touchdown performance from Derek Carr. The Raiders are 25-18 all-time in the playoffs, while the Texans are 2-3.
With these two teams both seemingly appearing as fillers, there is one main difference that could very well dictate the outcome of this contest. The Oakland Raiders finished tied for the lead league in turnover ratio with a +16, while the Texans finished at -7.
Despite winning the division two straight years, word on the street is Texans’ skipper Bill O’Brien is on the hot seat. A loss against the Oakland Raiders on their third string quarterback will more than likely coast O’Brien his job. Many of the NFL teams that are currently searching for a new head coach are waiting on the Texans’ decision before moving forward with their decisions. If the Texans lose and O’Brien is fired, look for clubs to begin filling their head coaching vacancies.
Prediction: Raiders 17 Texans 13- The turnover stat will be key. If the Raiders can stay on the path they have been following all season they should win the game and move on to the Divisional Round. Bill O’Brien will more than likely be fired after this game, but he will have multiple clubs requesting an interview as soon as he leaves Houston.
Next Page: Detroit Lions vs. Seattle Seahawks
