Three weeks ago, it looked liked the Raiders had a legitimate shot at reaching the AFC Championship Game and, perhaps, the Super Bowl.
Instead, they’ve been bounced out on wild-card weekend.
The Raiders fell to the Texans Saturday in Houston, 27-14, in a game that really wasn’t that close.
With injuries sidelining their top two quarterbacks, the Raiders had to go with rookie Connor Cook in his first NFL start, and it didn’t go well.
Trailing 3-0 in the first quarter, Cook was intercepted deep in his own territory on a terrific play by Pro Bowl defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who leaped up to tip a pass and then catch it, setting up the Texans (thanks to a tacked-on penalty) at the Raiders’ 4-yard line. The Texans promptly scored on Lamar Miller’s run to go up 10-0.
Cook and the Raiders were able to close the gap to 10-7 in the quarter on Latavius Murray’s 2-yard TD run, but then Houston scored the next 17 points en route to a 27-7 lead in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders were able to add a second TD on an 8-yard throw from Cook to Andre Holmes to cut the deficit to 27-14 with 8:14 remaining, but could get no closer.
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So the Raiders, who made the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season, exit quickly after a 12-4 regular season.
The season-ending injury to Carr in the Christmas Eve victory over the Colts certainly played a big role in Oakland’s demise. With Carr, the Raiders were one of the most explosive teams in the NFL. Without him, Oakland could score just six points in the regular-season finale, a loss to Denver, and 14 in the loss to the Texans.
Cook, understandably, was overmatched against the NFL’s No. 1 defense, and was often inaccurate, throwing the ball straight to Houston defenders. He was intercepted three times and was fortunate other balls were dropped by the Texans. He finished 18-of-45 for 161 yards. His passer rating: 30.0.
The Raiders’ hopes to run the ball fell flat, too. With left tackle Donald Penn out and center Rodney Hudson knocked out for part of Saturday’s game, Murray gained just 39 yards on 12 carries, with DeAndre Washington adding just 16 on four tries.
The Texans, meanwhile, were solid on offense with QB Brock Osweiler completing 14-of-25 throws for 168 yards and a TD with no picks, and Miller rushing for 73 yards and a score.
