Oakland Raiders: Winners and Losers from Silver and Black's Win vs. Texans

The Raiders took the field in Houston with heavy hearts. They fought hard to come back in a tough game and honor their fallen leader Al Davis with a win. In true Raider fashion all that mattered in the end was the final score. 

It wasn't pretty and at times it was downright ugly, but the Raiders persevered and found a way to hold on for a big win. As with any game there were bright spots and dim bulbs throughout.

It wasn't quite the shootout or battle of the running backs like many thought it might be, but it was a nail-biter to the finish. If you weren't on the edge of your seat for this game then football is not your passion.

For the rest of us, let's take a look at how the Raiders were able to, "Just Win Baby!"

Winner: Sebastian Janikowski

There is no doubt that Sebastian Janikowski has one of the biggest legs in the league. Today he showed that he is also reliable from great distance. 

The Raiders offense sputtered throughout the game and had a tough time getting in the end zone. Instead they had to lean on the Polish Cannon to blast kicks through the uprights. He delivered on kicks from 54, 55, 50 and 42 with all the kicks being crucial to the success of his team.

Many teams in the league are forced to punt in those situations. If the Raiders had to punt in those scenarios it would have fed into the Texans' early momentum and allowed them to build on their lead. Instead the Raiders were able to put points on the scoreboard from fairly unproductive offensive possessions. 

It was huge to keep them in the game. 

Winner: Darrius Heyward-Bey

Building off his strong performance from last week Darrius Heyward-Bey showed heart and passion as he willed the Raiders' passing game to life. 

His seven catches for 99 yards and a touchdown led the Raiders' aerial attack. His TD catch showed why the Raiders felt so confident that this would be the year for this young man. 

With 1:18 left in the first half and the Raiders at the Texans 34-yard line, Heyward-Bey caught a quick five-yard pass and looked immediately for yards after the catch. He broke a tackle from cornerback Jason Allen and accelerated by a diving Brian Cushing on his way to the end zone.

It was a huge moment for the Raiders offense and Darrius Heyward-Bey. It closed the gap to two points just before the half and showed that the Raiders were in this game for a fight. The touchdown inspired confidence in himself and his teammates.   

Winner: Raiders Defensive Line

Lamaar Houston may not have logged a sack in this game but it's a safe bet that Matt Schaub may be seeing him in his nightmares. More than once Schaub bootlegged off run-action to the left and when his head got around to look downfield, he found Houston bearing down on him. 

Houston and his linemates forced more than a few errant throws from Schaub. All told they sacked the Texans QB three times on the day. Two of those sacks came from the heartbeat of the defense, veteran Richard Seymour. 

It wasn't all about sacks though. The Raiders' defensive line put consistent pressure on Schaub and the effects were apparent in the second half. Schaub was pressured, hurried, knocked down and sacked by the relentless Raiders and it led to more than half of his passes falling incomplete. 

Perhaps the most disruptive plays were those when the linemen couldn't get to Schaub. Repeatedly Raider defenders would get their arms up in the passing lanes and bat passes down. One of those deflections led to a Lamaar Houston interception that was key to limiting the momentum of the Texans offense. 

As for the run defense? They answered the bell admirably. Al Davis would have been proud of each and every one of them. After an early 20-yard scamper by Arian Foster the Raiders clamped down. They showed great discipline and improved tackling as they held last year's rushing leader to 68 yards on 22 carries. 

It was a dominating performance from this unit and they made Raider Nation very proud. 

Winner: Hue Jackson

With Al Davis gone it will be up to Hue Jackson to keep this Raider team focused and heading in the right direction. Nobody can understand the impact Al's passing will have on this franchise. The locker room of the Raiders must stay together and stay strong. 

The general of the Raiders led his team through a difficult time with class and heart. It's just the way he operates. He has stepped into this franchise and changed the mentality of this team. Today the Raiders played the way Al would have wanted it. It wasn't pretty and things weren't clicking in many phases of the game, but they continued to fight to the end and that led to their victory. 

Hue Jackson showed guts calling a fake punt from their own 37-yard line. It was 4th and 3 and the Raiders were ahead at the time. When was the last time you saw the Raiders do something like that? It was another critical moment in the game and Hue nailed it. Rock Cartwright took the direct snap and dashed around the right side for a 35-yard gain. 

Most of all, Hue Jackson is a winner because he knew how much this game truly meant. He cares for this franchise and feels the loss of Al Davis. He allowed the moment to sink in when Michael Huff intercepted Schaub to seal the victory. He was overcome with emotion and embraced Chuck Bresnahan before going down to a knee to gather himself. He is nothing short of 100 percent real and for that I say thanks Hue. 

Winner: Raiders Secondary

I know this one may seem a little strange for some people but hear me out. 

Of Matt Schaub's 416 passing yards, 317 of those went to Arian Foster, Joel Dreessen and Owen Daniels. Much of the yardage was given up by the linebackers. It's true that the safeties should have been there as well but the initial coverage was blown from the get go.  

Stanford Routt and Demarcus Van Dyke held up well in coverage. Van Dyke had a couple of penalties but otherwise did well. Michael Huff and Mike Mitchell brought pressure on multiple blitzes creating havoc for Matt Schaub. 

Huff allowed the deep completion to Kevin Walter down the middle of the field but more than made up for it by intercepting Schaub on the last play of the game. 

The Raiders did not face the Texans' best receiver as Andre Johnson was inactive, but nonetheless they played well, fought hard and helped the Raiders emerge victorious. 

Loser: Jason Campbell

Jason Campbell finished the game 15 for 35 for 190 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, but much more went into those stats than meets the eye. 

He stood behind an offensive line that provided little protection and it was obvious as the game wore on. 

The Raiders offensive line led the league with only two sacks surrendered on the season. They gave up three today and allowed the Texans to have a field day in their backfield.

Jason Campbell was hurried, knocked down and sacked much the same way that Matt Schaub was. Too many times Campbell was moving and leaning backward at his release of the football. I understand when he's trying to buy that extra moment before releasing but it appeared more like he was feeling the pressure even when it wasn't quite there. 

He overthrew Chaz Schilens wide open down the middle of the field early on a play that could have been huge.

On sideline fade routes he continues to lead his receivers out of bounds. He needs to give his receivers a chance to get their feet in bounds, if not their body, and he's not doing that.  

Late in the game with the Raiders looking to run time off the clock, he called an audible and tried to hit Denarius Moore down the sideline deep. I like the guts and the confidence he showed in the audible but it was not the time for something like that. It almost came back to really hurt the team. 

Loser: Raiders LBs in Coverage

The defense once again played Jekyll and Hyde today. They held strong at the point of attack with the defensive line holding up its end of the bargain. They would look like a defense getting ready to take over the game. Then they would give up a huge play.

It was something the Texans exploited and the Raiders had a hard time adjusting to throughout the game. The Texans' biggest plays came on passes to Arian Foster coming out of the backfield or tight ends running wide open. Like in the third quarter when Kamerion Wimbley came on a blitz and let Foster slip by him, catch a pass and take it 60 yards.

Quentin Groves got sucked in multiple times on the run-action and even allowed Lawrence Vickers to leak out of the backfield, wide open for a sure touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Lucky for Groves that Vickers dropped the pass or the Texans would have been going for a two-point conversion to tie the game.

Rolando McClain had his issues in coverage as well. On a Schaub roll out to the right in the second quarter he let Joel Dreessen go right by him down the field. Sucked in by the play-action, McClain had a lapse in concentration that cost the Raiders. Schaub hit Dreessen for a 60-yard touchdown to extend the lead to eight points.

The Texans exposed the Raider linebackers in coverage and they need to figure out a way to play a complete game. They were strong in run support today but it can't be one or the other.  

Loser: Offensive Line

The Raiders offensive line entered the game leading the league with only two sacks surrendered. One of those was actually Jason Campbell tripping over the feet of Darren McFadden.

Today they were physically dominated for the most part by the Texans front seven. Mario Williams left early with a pectoral injury and his one sack. You would not have known he was gone as the Texans, led by Brian Cushing continued to disrupt the Raiders' offense.

Darren McFadden hardly stood a chance today as there were multiple Texans in the backfield when he got the handoff or pitch from Campbell. The leading rushing offense in the NFL looked more like a flashback of years past. 

Jared Veldheer and Stefen Wisniewski held up well enough but the rest of the line was thoroughly beaten for the majority of the game. 

The Raiders couldn't look to exploit the Texans weakness defending tight ends as they had to keep extra men in to block on nearly every play. They could not hold their ground long enough to allow the offense to get on track. 

The Raiders did not pick up a first down until there was 1:47 left in the first half and they managed only 11 yards on the ground in the first two quarters. 

The Raiders need to find out why the line had such issues today. They have been solid so far this year but they can't become a weakness. I didn't see Bruce Campbell on the field and Joe Barksdale could have played more which puzzled me a bit. It seemed as though Carlisle and Barnes had the roughest time on the day, followed closely by Satele. 

There you have it Raider fans. Let me know what you think or who I left out.