Mark Davis: Why Oakland Raiders' Win vs Texans Is Significant for Al Davis' Son

Even though the memory of Al Davis and his legacy will forever dominate the Oakland Raiders organization, it represents the end of an era, and simultaneously the beginning of another. The "Mark Davis" era has officially begun in Oakland and even though it is a continuation with the same team, every era should start with a win.

The mantra that has been uttered endlessly in the wake of Davis' passing, "Just Win Baby," was never more evident than at Reliant Stadium in Houston on Sunday. The Oakland Raiders did not come out with their best effort in the first half, relying on Sebastian Janikowski to keep them in the game. 

Perhaps it was heavy hearts and distracted minds, but whatever it was would have infuriated Al Davis and maybe the team sensed that in the second half. The team responded with a united effort and contributions from everywhere to pull out the victory. 

This is exactly what Mark Davis needed because transition is a lot easier to handle when victories continue during the change. Despite being "just one game," a lot of questions would have been raised about the motivation of a team that cannot use the emotion of an event like the passing of the most famed owner in the NFL to spur them to victory.

As it is, none of those questions need to be asked and the final decisions that Al Davis made are continuing to pay dividends into the future. Clearly, Hue Jackson is the right man for the job and some of the pieces that Al Davis believed in when all others didn't are now coming into form under the new coach.

Mark Davis can say that the "Post-Al" era picked up right where the previous era left off, not settling for anything but a win at any cost.