December 22, 2008
Winning Season Lost to a Black Hole
by Keith Weiland
Keith@IntheBullseye.com

In a 27-16 defeat in Oakland, the Texans learned, once again, that while they may be capable of winning any given Sunday, they also are not good enough to take any team lightly, including the Raiders. And just like that, a four-game winning streak and hopes for the first winning season were dashed.

If beating the Titans a week ago truly was this team's Super Bowl, then surely the Texans must have felt a weekend trip to California was their own personal Pro Bowl. And damn if they didn't play like they were in Honolulu.

It was another redzone failure by the offense that spelled doom in this game. To get there, defensive tackle Amobi Okoye sacked Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game and his team down by 11.

In taking down Russell, Okoye forced a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Kevin Bentley at the Raiders' 14-yard line. Running back Steve Slaton moved the football 9 yards in two downs to the 5, and on third and inches, quarterback Matt Schaub threw an incomplete pass intended for Kevin Walter.

Key Play

Fourth and inches, head coach Gary Kubiak could have gone for a 23-yard field goal attempt - hardly further than an extra point - and narrowed the deficit to just eight points. Always the gambler though, Kubiak kept Schaub and the offense on the field.

With just inches needed for the first down, logic insisted a QB dive or at least a running play of some sort to gain the new set of downs, especially with the speedy Slaton, the new single season franchise leading rusher, in the backfield. But no, the former-quarterback-turned-head-coach sent Schaub passing for glory, again resulting in an incompletion to Walter.

Kubiak is nothing if not gutsy in his offensive playcalling (nevermind the fact he can't stomach to actually watch any plays near the end of close games). And had Schaub connected on either of his endzone passes intended for Walter, there's a very good possibility that the final outcome might have been different in Oakland.

But when a coach goes against the book and fails, especially against a non-descript Raiders defense with virtually nothing to play for, then he looks a bit like that strung out gambler who can't push away from the table.

Game Balls

Can we just skip this section? With very few exceptions, the entire team lost this game, from the offense to the defense as well as the special teams. There were at times some very special efforts (like Okoye's sack-fumble, Owen Daniels' 7-111, and some decent play from the safeties), but ultimately this was a winnable game against a defeatable opponent and the Texans never found a way to make it happen.

The Texans might have been lucky to make it to halftime tied at 13, but Raiders receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins did his best to ensure the embarrassment stuck in the third quarter, catching a 29-yard TD pass and returning an 80-yard punt for a score, the latter coming within three minutes of the former. That's the kind of performance that deserves a game ball.

Key Stat

2-19

The offense never looked Andre Johnson's direction until the fourth quarter, and the starting wide receiver for the AFC in the 2009 Pro Bowl was held to just two catches on the afternoon. Granted, he was at many times manned up against a fellow Pro Bowler at cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha, but the offense rarely challenged Asomugha with their best weapon -- a total offensive gameplanning brain fart.

The defense won't get off unscathed here though. After shutting down opponents on third down at a fairly impressive clip in recent games, they returned to their forgiving ways as the Raiders converted their third downs 50% of the time.

And lastly, the special teams gave up the game's back-breaking play with the punt return by Higgins. They also looked asleep at the wheel in the first half when the Raiders recovered a surprise onsides kick.

So instead of gunning for their ninth win to close out the year next Sunday against the Bears, the Texans return home hoping to salvage a second straight 8-8 season. While an eighth win would tie a franchise record, an underwhelmed fan base is expected to be in attendance.

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