Bill O'Brien Comments on Refs, DeAndre Hopkins' Out-of-Bounds Play vs. Raiders

The Oakland Raiders beat the Houston Texans 27-20 on Monday in a back-and-forth affair at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, but Houston coach Bill O'Brien was not pleased with at least one potential missed call from the officials.

Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins appeared to have a 60-yard touchdown on Houston's opening possession after he got past defensive back Reggie Nelson, but the officials called him out of bounds after 24 yards.

Hopkins made his feelings clear on the call with this post on Instagram:

O'Brien couldn't challenge because the play was ruled dead, but he did comment on it after the game, per NFL.com:

"

Was Hopkins out of bounds on that play? No. So like, look, I'm not going to sit up here and get fined, I'm just a third-year coach in the NFL. But I think we really got to look at all of those things. You know, we got all of these cameras, and we can't get that right. And I don't think Hopkins was out of bounds ...

"

The NFL shared the close play, while NFL on ESPN captured the moment in question and commentator Jon Gruden's response:

NFL senior vice president of officiating Dean Blandino explained the ruling, per NFL.com: "The heel (right foot) appears to be in the white. It's not right down the line, so it's not definitive, but we certainly can't say that he's obviously in-bounds from this angle."

Houston settled for a Nick Novak field goal, although it could have used the additional points from the just-missed touchdown in the fourth quarter when Oakland outscored it 14-3 with the game hanging in the balance.

The Hopkins catch wasn't the only questionable call that benefitted the Raiders.

Houston turned the ball over on downs inside the red zone in the final seven minutes with the game tied. However, Akeem Hunt initially appeared to get the first down on the fourth-down attempt (as did Lamar Miller on the third-down run in the previous play).

NFL on ESPN shared just how close the measurement was on Hunt's carry:

Oakland scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown on the ensuing drive after the turnover on downs.

The Denver Broncos are 7-3 and chasing the 8-2 Raiders in the AFC West, and safety T.J. Ward didn't seem to agree with Oakland's eighth win in light of the officiating decisions:

Hopkins said, "You just said it yourself. I'm not talking about that subject," when asked if the officials favored the Raiders, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

Hopkins could have used the 60-yard score in what has been a disappointing season from an individual standpoint. He finished with 58 receiving yards and has reached the century mark only once all year after doing so six times in 2015 on his way to 1,521 receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches.

He has 540 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 10 games with Brock Osweiler this season and has been nowhere near the consistent threat he was in 2015.

Despite the controversial loss, the Texans are still 6-4 and in first place in the AFC South and ahead of the 5-5 Indianapolis Colts and 5-6 Tennessee Titans. Houston plays the 4-6 San Diego Chargers and 4-6 Green Bay Packers in the next two games and could use some breathing room before road contests against those Colts and Titans later in the season.

If the Texans ultimately fall behind their pursuers, they will likely look back on Monday's contest as a missed opportunity.