TEXANS 0, RAIDERS 28
Bradford, 17/36, 209 yds, 3 INT
McFadden, 9 rush, 76 yds, 2 TD (1 rec TD)
Oakland, CA -- It was the case of not being able to handle the run, which in turn became not being able to throw the ball down the field the way they liked.
Sam Bradford (bottom right) struggled the entire game, throwing 3 picks, netting the rookie his worst rating of the season, a 30.9 QBR.
The man who can be thanked for the low rating for the rook, would be veteran
Nnamdi Asomugha (top). The Raiders cornerback finished his game with 2 picks, frustrating the slinger from Oklahoma.
For the Texans, it was supposed to be Chris Johnson's mighty return - which is probably why there was a sense of brimming confidence through the Texans locker room pregame.
"We felt good before all this," says receiver Andre Johnson, "The goal was to re-establish a run game, then at the same time bring that down field threat."
The Raiders were 7-1 for a reason, and Johnson was kept under 100-yards, and no score to show for it.
On the other side of the ball, the run game for Oakland was remarkable - the dual threat of Kalil Bell and Darren McFadden proved to be difficult for Gary Kubiak's defensive mindset.
"They blocked into the holes real well (of his defense). But it doesn't matter how long we can block up a hole when we get a chance to grab the runner - and he just shrugs the tackles."
Bell shrugged off 9 tackles, while McFadden broke 2, but scored two touchdowns instead.
Of course Jamarcus Russell isn't the reason the Raiders are 7-1, the quarterback threw 23 times, completing 9 of them to receiers that either were short of the first down, or thrown on the dump off, except once throwing to
Darren McFadden (bottom left) for a touchdown.
"They kept us in the game," states Kubiak, "With lackluster passing like that - we were still in this one. It's just unfortunate we couldn't take advantage."
In the end, it was not a game to be remembered for Kubiak and the Texans. Chris Johnson's return was fogged over by the Raiders resilient defense, and the 1-2 punch of Mcfadden and Bell.
It doesn't get easier next week when the now 2-6 Texans travel to Florida to face up against the 7-1 Jacksonville Jaguars.