Houston Texans vs. Oakland Raiders: Complete Week 2 Preview for Oakland
The Oakland Raiders were hoping to start off 2014 on a better note. It's not just that the team lost 19-14 in the season opener at the New York Jets. It's how unimpressive the team looked in defeat.
The defensive line was bullied and rendered ineffective all game. The offensive line was no better; it was on its heels the entire game. The running backs were completely negated, and Derek Carr was never able to get comfortable in the pocket.
The team's ineffectiveness in the trenches, where the game was really decided, wasn't lost on the players.
Following the loss, left tackle Donald Penn gave his assessment of the offensive line's performance, via CSNBayArea.com's Scott Bair:
"Coming off the field, I really thought we lost the line of scrimmage...If we would have sustained one block or taken a better angle on another, we could have made a real difference...You need little things to make a big difference. We didn’t do those things, and that’s why we only had 25 yards rushing. We need to find a way to be a difference maker, so we can get more yardage and get better and bigger runs.
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The Jets dominated the Raiders in every statistical category, yet Oakland was still in it the entire game. And despite struggling in every area, the Raiders had a chance to win the game late.
With all of the new additions to the roster and a rookie at quarterback, it's understandable that Oakland would need some time to turn from a collection of players into a cohesive team.
It also partially explains the cautious play-calling from the coaches. But with the game within reach in a season where wins will be hard to come by, the coaches never seemed to go for it. Protecting your rookie quarterback makes sense, but it shouldn't come at the expense of trying to earn a victory.
The Raiders are hosting the Houston Texans on Sunday. This is a winnable game, but Oakland has to go out and take it. It's going to require a more aggressive approach in the game plan, both on offense and on defense.
Here's a complete breakdown of Oakland's Week 2 matchup.
Oakland Raiders Week 1 Recap
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The Raiders went through a massive roster rebuild this offseason, and the team is more talented than it has been in years. Hopes were high entering the regular season, which made the performance in Week 1 against the New York Jets so disappointing.
Defensively, the Raiders were unable to stop the Jets from getting what they wanted for the better part of four quarters. They couldn't stop the run and were ineffective against the pass.
But the most worrisome sign was the complete inability of the defensive line to generate any pressure on Geno Smith. Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley were brought in to do just that, but neither found any success against the Jets. The defensive line as a whole was pushed around all game.
Oakland was equally ineffective on offense. Except for two touchdown drives, the offense was unable to get anything going. In between the two touchdown drives—the first with six minutes left in the first quarter, the second with 1:21 left in the fourth quarter—the Raiders punted on eight out of nine offensive possessions. And the one possession that didn't end with a punt was because it was halftime.
While the team was physically dominated on both sides of the ball, what was more obvious was the overly conservative and unimaginative play-calling.
The defensive line was unable to get in the backfield and be disruptive throughout the game. Yet defensive coordinator Jason Tarver waited until late in the game to get creative with the pass rush. Oakland began to see more success when Tarver began to include linebacker, cornerback and safety blitzes.
The same thing happened in the secondary, where Jets receivers were frequently wide open. The cornerbacks played off the receivers, and as a result, Smith looked like a Pro Bowler.
More frustrating was the offensive game plan—not just because it was conservative, but because offensive coordinator Greg Olson never made any adjustments. The Raiders fell behind 10-7 in the second quarter and were within a single score of taking the lead for most of the game. But the play-calling never changed, and it looked like Oakland was more interested in losing by a small margin than in actually winning the game.
No matter what facet of the game you look at, Oakland was dominated. Offensively and defensively, the Jets dictated the action. Even in a loss, teams look for something to build off heading into the next game. But for the Raiders, it's difficult to find anything positive.
However, the team did show signs of potential on offense when Carr was allowed to go downfield and when the defense began to use different blitzes. Both of these elements have to be regularly incorporated into the game plan for the Raiders to be successful this season.
News and Notes
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Will the Oakland coaches let Carr play?
Derek Carr's stats from Week 1 are misleading. He completed 20 of 32 passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions. But he threw for only 151 yards, which makes sense given that he mostly completed short passes. Per Pro Football Focus (via ESPN.com's Bill Williamson), Carr did almost no work down the field:
"Just a few of Carr's 32 pass attempts went longer than 10 yards downfield. Pro Football Focus said 17 of Carr's 20 completions came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, while a whopping eight of the completions were thrown behind the line of scrimmage.
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The only time the passing game really opened up was on the team's final possession. Carr completed three passes to tight end Mychal Rivera for nine, nine and 13 yards before hitting wide receiver James Jones for a 30-yard touchdown pass. The complete drive went 73 yards on only six plays.
It's understandable that the coaches are being cautious with Carr, but they also need to give him, and the offense as a whole, a chance to succeed. If they don't, offensive performances like the one from Week 1 will become common, and the team won't find too many opportunities to earn victories.
Wanted: a running game
With the return of Darren McFadden, the addition of Maurice Jones-Drew and the potential of a now-healthy Latavius Murray, the Oakland offense planned to rely heavily on the running game.
This was supposed to work in tandem with the rebuilt offensive line. With an intriguing mix of size and experience, it looked like it could be one of the team's strongest units. But it was dominated by the Jets' defensive front, and the running game was completely shut down.
Jones-Drew and McFadden combined for a pitiful 26 yards on the ground on only 13 carries. This weekend's matchup was going to provide a chance to prove that the performance against the Jets wasn't an accurate sample, but that's now unlikely to happen.
CSNBayArea.com's Scott Bair tweeted that Jones-Drew has missed the last few practices with a hand injury, and many, including defensive coordinator Greg Olson, don't expect him to be ready by Sunday.
Oakland needs to make a stronger commitment to the run. Having 13 carries just isn't enough for any running game to be effective. Against Houston, it's going to be McFadden and Murray in the backfield, and they need to combine for at least 25-30 touches. Otherwise, J.J. Watt is going to be let loose on the pass rush.
That's not something you want your quarterback to deal with, especially a rookie.
Raiders secondary gets a boost
The Raiders secondary was picked apart in Week 1, and that was against Geno Smith. He might be improved, but Oakland made him look elite. The unit is short on talent, but that could see a boost this week with the return of Chimdi Chekwa.
According to Silver and Black Pride's Levi Damien, Chekwa is going to be thrown right into the fire after only a few full practices. "Chimdi Chekwa practiced full for the past two days after missing the opener with a knee injury. Dennis Allen said he will step back into the nickel corner spot for this game."
Chekwa has yet to prove that he's capable of being an effective every-down player, but as thin as Oakland is at cornerback, the team will take all the help it can get. Chekwa will primarily see time in the nickel, but he's also playing for a starting spot. If he performs as well as he did early in the preseason, he'll provide a huge boost to the defense and possibly play himself into a starting job.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Taiwan Jones | CB | Out |
| Maurice Jones-Drew | RB | Questionable |
| Kaluka Maiava | LB | Questionable |
| Nick Roach | LB | Questionable |
| Matt McCants | OT | Questionable |
| Chimdi Chekwa | CB | Probable |
*All injury statuses from CSNBayArea.com's Scott Bair.
McCants is a rotational offensive lineman, and the offensive line has remained mostly healthy. Even if he's unavailable, the team won't feel his absence for one week.
Per CSNBayArea.com's Scott Bair, Jones is out for the rest of the season. He's been struggling with injuries since before the season began, and the Raiders were hoping that he would be able to recover enough to contribute. Unfortunately, that won't be the case.
Officially listed as a cornerback, Jones was never going to see a ton of action on defense. However, he's a key member of special teams, and the team is going to have to figure out a way to replace his production.
The biggest injury news leading up to this weekend's matchup is the hand injury to Jones-Drew. Earlier this week, he went through what's been reported as a procedure on his hand. The exact nature of the injury hasn't been revealed.
Per Bair, Jones-Drew has indicated that there's no lingering pain. The only issue now is getting the swelling down, and Jones-Drew hasn't said he won't play. However, even though the Raiders have taken a similar stance by listing him as "questionable" and haven't officially ruled him out, Bair notes that "multiple sources have indicated that he [Jones-Drew] won't be available for the home opener."
This means that Sunday will see the return of Darren McFadden to the starting lineup. After Jones-Drew's disappointing performance last week, McFadden has a great opportunity to reclaim the starting running back job.
The biggest impact on the field could be at linebacker. Oakland is already thin at linebacker with only five active players at the position. Now, two of them are injured, including starting middle linebacker Roach, who has yet to recover from a concussion he suffered in the third preseason game.
Roach suffered the concussion more than three weeks ago, but he's yet to pass all of the NFL-mandated tests. He still hasn't been cleared, and Silver and Black Pride's Levi Damien reports that he's likely out for Sunday.
Miles Burris has replaced Roach in the starting lineup, but Maiava is still an important player in the rotation at the position. If he can't play, it would mean the Raiders' three starting linebackers against the Texans would be the only ones active for the game.
To try and strengthen the position, Bair reports that undrafted rookie linebacker Bojay Filimoeatu has been called up from the practice squad. If Maiava is out, the unproven rookie could be forced into action—a scenario Oakland would rather avoid.
The one positive on the injury report is the return of Chekwa. At one point during the preseason, he was in contention to earn the starting job opposite Tarell Brown, but a knee injury kept him out of action.
How much he'll be able to contribute this week remains to be seen, given that it will be his first action since the beginning of the preseason. However, per Damien, head coach Dennis Allen has said that Chekwa will be the nickel cornerback against Houston.
It's an encouraging sign that the Raiders are getting back a player at what's arguably the weakest position group. Even if he can't be a major factor this week, it's a step in the right direction as the team tries to establish some consistency at cornerback.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Oakland's secondary vs. Andre Johnson
Against the Raiders secondary last week, Geno Smith went 23-of-28 and finished the game with a passer rating of 96.6. And that was with no true No. 1 wide receiver to throw to. That won't be the case against Houston.
Even at age 33, Andre Johnson remains one of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL. Oakland doesn't have a true No. 1 cornerback, but it will have to figure out a way to reduce Johnson's production. Tarell Brown will match up with him, but he won't be able to do the job alone.
The best option will be to establish an effective pass rush to stop the passing game at the source, but the Oakland defensive front has yet to prove it can do so. The secondary is going to have to send extra defenders to Johnson's side of the field to slow the Texans' passing attack.
Oakland's front seven vs. Arian Foster
The Raiders were gashed on the ground in Week 1. The Jets combined for 212 yards on 34 carries, for an average of six yards per carry. If Arian Foster is given the same openings, the Oakland defense will be in for a very long day.
The defensive line was pushed around last week, and there were gaping holes for the running backs to run through all game. The responsibility for correcting this issue falls on both the defensive line and the linebackers.
The defensive line needs to maintain better gap responsibility, and the linebackers will have to assume a more prominent role in run support. Houston's offensive line is not as powerful a unit as that of the Jets. But if the Oakland front seven doesn't impose its will, Foster will make them pay.
Donald Penn vs. J.J. Watt
The offensive line struggled against the Jets pass rush, and it's only going to get tougher on Sunday as the unit will have to figure out some way to handle the one-man wrecking crew known as J.J. Watt.
There's no single offensive tackle on the Oakland roster (or in the NFL, for that matter) who can single-handedly contain Watt for an entire game, but nonetheless, Penn will be tasked with this responsibility on Sunday.
He'll get some help from left guard Gabe Jackson and fullback Marcel Reece, but Penn will have to do the bulk of the work on his own. His performance last week left a lot to be desired. He'll have to do much, much better against Houston.
X-Factor of the Week: Raiders coaching staff
When a team underperforms, there's a common debate as to whether the responsibility falls on the players or the coaches. In Week 1, the players didn't make enough plays. But it was evident that this was in large part due to a lack of opportunities.
Defensively, the Raiders need to get more creative with their blitzes. The play-calling was too predictable against the Jets, and it allowed the offense to settle into a comfortable rhythm. More needs to be done to confuse the Houston offense and to get defenders into the backfield more often.
Offensively, the coaches need to let the players play. Protecting Carr is one thing, but sacrificing a winning game plan shouldn't be a part of it. There's a difference between being careful and settling for ineffectiveness. Against the Jets, they did the latter. Against the Texans, the offensive approach can be cautious, but to goal still needs to be to score enough points to win the game.
Prediction
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Sunday's matchup against Houston will be another close one for the Raiders. Both teams are in the process of forming a new identity, and the process will continue this week.
Oakland will play better in Week 2, partially because the players will have another week to get used to playing with one another and partially because it would be difficult to play as poorly as it did last week.
Houston has some dangerous players in Johnson, Foster and Watt, but the team overall is nowhere near the same level. These three players will play their part, but Oakland will be able to do just enough in other areas to reduce the damage.
The key on defense will be getting to Ryan Fitzpatrick, who's being used as more of a game manager. After the poor performance last week, the Raiders defense will be more effective getting to the quarterback, doing just enough to limit the big plays.
On offense, the running backs will find more success. This will open it up more for Carr, who showed that he can be successful going down the field. The combination of a more efficient running game and an efficient passing attack will lead to a more effective offense.
The Raiders will still exhibit some obvious areas for improvement, but they'll be able to do just enough to win in front of the home crowd.
Prediction: Oakland 20, Houston 17
Unless otherwise noted, stats provided by from ESPN.com.
Share your thoughts and opinions on Twitter @BrianJ_Flores.
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