Houston Texans: THREE Keys To The Redemptive Raider Rematch

The Houston Texans will get another chance to show up the Oakland Raiders in a must win playoff game this coming Saturday.

Back in week 11, a combination of an international crowd and green laser pointers cost the Houston Texans an across-the-border match up with the Oakland Raiders. Saturday afternoon, there is a chance for redemption in a Houston Texans Raider rematch.

The Oakland Raiders will face the Texans in the first round of the wild card round of the NFL playoffs fro the 2016 season. Only this time, the Texans just may have the upper hand.

With the team being the AFC South Champions and a higher seed in the conference, the Raiders have to travel to the Texans home turf at NRG Stadium. This could prove to be very beneficial for the fellas in navy and red.

However, there are some things the team will need to workout before the playoffs begin.

1. The Quarterback Conundrum

During the last game of the season at Tennessee, Tom Savage had to leave the game early with a concussion. No recent reports on his progress have surfaced yet.

Enter Brock Osweiler, the man that has led the Texans at quarterback for most of the season. Though he did get 243 passing yards in the game, he still had a completion rate lower than 55%. That kind of play is not going to help the team advance far enough.

Brandon Weeden, the third string, has yet to see any time this season. If the injury to Savage is intense enough, and the trust in Osweiler has completely evaporated from Bill O’Brien‘s mind, he may just decide to give Weeden a shot. Although, that is a risk that would, more than likely, be more costly than expected for the Texans.

2. The Lamar Miller Effect

The team expects the running back to return for the playoffs. The 5 year veteran already has 1,073 yards on the season and averages 4 yards per carry. Such stats could potentially be an ex-factor for the team going forward.

However, should Lamar Miller not be ready for the first game against Oakland, one of the other running backs will have to step up to pick up the slack. Alfred Blue is the only player in that core with numbers even remotely close to what Miller has done over the 2016 season. It will be interesting to see how this will play out.

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3. What Lies Ahead

No matter what way you slice it, the Texans have an incredibly tough road ahead. Not only do they have to take care of their business first against Oakland, but the next rounds will really test them as a team depending on who comes out on top in the other AFC wild card game.

To break it down, if the Texans do win….

a. And Miami wins – Then the Texans will go to Kansas City to face the Chiefs.

b. And Pittsburgh wins – The Texans go to Foxborough to face the Patriots.

The only scenario that seems remotely easy is if the Dolphins can pull it off against the Steelers following a Texans victory.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of that seems slim to none. And even if so, the Patriots eventually await as the favorite to win the conference.

Despite growing anxieties, the Texans have ways they can navigate through what is seemingly going to be a tumultuous AFC playoffs.

Whether or not those ways work out is what remains to be seen. Buckle up, Texans fans. It’s going to be a bumpy ride!

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