Houston Texans @ Oakland Raiders: Week 11: THREE Bold Predictions
Despite all of the challenges the Houston Texans have faced this season whether it be injuries, lack of execution of the game plan or just plain brain farts, this team is still standing at the top of the AFC South with a 6-3 record.
Despite all of the challenges the Houston Texans have faced this season whether it be injuries, lack of execution of the game plan or just plain brain farts, this team is still standing at the top of the AFC South with a 6-3 record.
This team is quite talented from top to bottom and you better believe Bill O’Brien is going to have these guys prepared to reach their full potential.
Hopefully.
There are a lot of new moving parts to this roster that have to integrate with the existing ones so it’s going to take some time to see that cohesiveness that we want.
Until then, let’s sit back, relax and enjoy watching this Houston Texans team do work.
The Houston Texans will be facing an Oakland Raiders team that has finally hit its stride and they’re racking up the wins along the way.
The Raiders have long been the butt of many NFL jokes but no longer.
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They’re serious about contending and have some talented pieces to get them to the next level.
It may not be this year but I believe that it will be soon enough.
The Raiders’ defense is ranked 29th in terms of yards allowed (398.0 yards per game). They are ranked 31st against the pass (283.2 YPG) and 21st against the run (114.8 YPG).
Their high-powered offense is ranked 5th (401.1 YPG).
It will be interesting to see how these teams respond to each other on a neutral site in Mexico City with a different climate for the Texans but no so much for the Raiders.
Here’s everything you need to know about today’s game:
Game Information:
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
TV: ESPN
Radio: 610 AM, 100.3 FM, ESPN Deportes 1180 AM (Spanish), Sirius/XM/SiriusXM 83, 88 (National), 157 (Spanish) and Internet 812.
Weather: Clear, 55 degrees
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Bold Predictions:
1.) Derek Carr will throw for only 150 yards and get sacked at least once.
The Houston Texans have some talent all over their defensive line and we know they’re quite good at the pass rush as I mentioned.
Jadeveon Clowney, Whitney Mercilus, Vince Wilfork (possibly depending on health status) and Brian Cushing are all going to be feasting on this opportunity and it’s going to happen.
The Houston Texans are decently-ranked 13th in the league in quarterback hits with 57 on the season.
With the Raiders’ offensive line being ranked near the top, according to Football Outsiders, the Texans’ defensive-line will have a tougher time getting through the fortress that has been created for Carr.
2.) Brock Osweiler will continue his ZERO interception streak that just started.
The Texans have morphed Brock Osweiler to a game manager were they keep him on tight leash and run a specific package of plays to get the team downfield.
So yes, it’s possible he won’t throw a pick.
There still wasn’t much a gain on his watch but it was the defense and the rest of our team that outperformed in spite of Osweiler.
At this point, we know what he is and the coaching staff will to do the utmost to utilize his strengths which can be hard to find at times.
I know Brock is hopefully committed to ensure that he makes better decisions and that starts with taking care of the football.
He’ll be cautious.
I’ll just have to cover my eyes when that happens.
Oh, the humanity!
Osweiler has thrown at least one pick over the past eight weeks for a total of nine on the season.
Those rare exceptions were against the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos.
3.) DeAndre Hopkins will have his best game of the season.
As bad as the Raiders are at defending the pass, this will be perfect opportunity for Nuk to outshine his competition.
He has caught more than 100 yards since Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs — he had 113 — so this is an excellent opportunity to redeem himself.
But that all depends on what we get out of Osweiler, which may not be enough to get the yards he needs to help this win.
I still see that making double-digit catches for 175 yards is absolutely attainable against the Raiders’ secondary.
Game Score Prediction: 27-24 in a Houston Texans’ win!
Go Texans.