One can honestly say that the Houston Texans are back to their winning ways.
It has been nearly a year since the team has won two-in-a-row and they’ve done so in cavalier-like fashion.
We also learned thatJ.J. Wattcan do just about anything on a football field.
Is he even human?
The Texans pursued right out of the gate with a10-play, 80-yard, 5 1/2-minutedrive down field.
September 14, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Texans running back
Arian Foster(23) runs with the ball past Oakland Raiders defensive back
Chimdi Chekwa(35) during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Fitzpatrickused a combination of short passes over the middle and to the right as well as hand-offs toArian Fosterto get themselves going.
Then the unthinkable happened…
Foster had a nice burst of 41 yards to the end zone for what was ruled a touchdown but was called back after the play went under review.
The ruling on the field was that he didn’t cross the plane and that put the ball on the Raiders 1-yard line.
Here’s whereBill O’Briengot even after that play overturn…
He quickly moved forward and decided to put Watt at the tight end position for the scoring play.
The Raiders coaching staff thought he likely was put in as a run-blocker for Foster but that was totally the opposite.
Fitz quickly went to Watt andTOUCHDOWN!
It didn’t take that long at all for them to get on the board!
Sep 14, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Texans quarterback
Ryan Fitzpatrick(14) throws a pass over Oakland Raiders defensive end
Justin Tuck(91) in the third quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Texans defeated the Raiders 30-14. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Fitz looked solid once again — he ended up passing14-for-19with139yards passing, two touchdowns for a129.1quarterback rating.
He seemed to not try anything fancy but stayed within the parameters that O’Brien set up for him and executed with a little precision, far from perfect though.
The game was all Texans throughout with them leading17-0going into the half.
They had total control and the Raiders seemed concerned about that but there was nothing they could do.
By the time the Raiders got on the board, it was the 4th quarter and the game was well out of reach for them, garbage points if you will.
Foster was the leading rusher once again for the Texans rushing for138yards off28carries and one touchdown.
Yep, that’s right,28carries.
This is what I expected because the Raiders have had trouble stopping the run giving up212to Jets last week. They gave up188to the Texans today.
Foster also completed his27thgame that involved his yardage exceeding the century mark.
Andre Johnsonwas leading wide out catchingsixballs for76yards.
Deandre Hopkins scored his 2nd consecutive touchdown in as many games.
A.J. BouyeandBrian Cushingled the team in tackles with eight and six respectively, they seemed to be everywhere.
Sep 14, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Texans cornerback
Kareem Jackson(25) returns an interception against the Oakland Raiders in the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Derek Carrwas picked off twice — first byKareem Jackson; and, secondly byBrooks Reed.
Whitney Mercilus, when needed the most, was largely non-existent, he only had one tackle on the game to his credit.
He’s got to step up if he expects to be a part of the evolution of something big.
Carr ended up going27-for-42, passing for263yards, withonetouchdown and the two aforementioned picks. He also had58rushing yards, more than half of the team’s total of101yards. His QB rating was hurt quite a bit with those interceptions — he ended up with a69.8.
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The team was also smart by taking care of the football committing no turnovers and kept their penalties low getting only seven costing them85yards.
Even though it’s against the lowly Raiders, this is one of those wins that demonstrates that we’re headed in the right direction and the captain of the ship in O’Brien is keeping it steady at the helm.
Now we can all celebrate the win with half-off Papa John’s pizza tomorrow and our free Texans’ slushie from Sonic Drive-In Tuesday.
It was a nice win and it’s now time to take the show to the Big Apple next Sunday against a struggling Giants team.
To break the hex of last season, we must go 3-0 and it’s definitely possible.
Stay tuned!
Go Texans!
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