Raiders Give Fans Early Christmas Gift, Beating Texans in Oakland 27-16

On paper, and in the media, this game was going to be easy. Even a few of the local opinions had the Texans beating Oakland by over 20.

Instead, Oakland put together their second strong game in five weeks, combining the efforts of strong rushing, good passing, and the usual special teams return for a TD that highlights the Raiders as of late.

For starters, the Raiders marched down the field, scoring on the opening drive. It was a feat not seen since 12/2/07, over a year ago. The Texans responded with a TD drive of their own, and then the Raiders scored a field goal from 33 yards out.

Then Oakland elected to try a little surprise, with fun results. Lining up for the kickoff, Janikowski did a quick onside kick, catching the Houston team off guard. Baker recovered the kick, and let the Raiders kick a second field goal from 30 yards out, taking a 16-10 lead.

Houston would drive a couple more times, putting two field goals on the board to tie the score at 13, from 53 yards, a 24 yard chip shot, and Oakland ran out of time driving towards halftime.

Houston had control in the second half, but couldn't turn it into any points, while Raiders' Johnnie Lee Higgins would score twice in the third: First, a 29-yard touchdown strike from Russell, and then an 80-yard touchdown on a punt return, sending the fans into a frenzy.

Into the fourth quarter, there were some trying times, as the Texans got one more field goal to close the scoring, from 40 yards out, bringing the difference to 11 points. However, Oakland was able to take advantage of some lucky plays. Russell fumbled the ball at his own 27, and the Texans took it to the 14-yard line. But, after four tries, they failed to get a first down or convert into any points.

Another possession for the Texans ended quickly, when Matt Schaub threw a first down interception, killing another drive. With less than five minutes to go, Oakland was able to run the clock down to 1:11 before turning the ball over on downs.

And then the Raiders improved to 4-11, beating a team with that was 7-7.

Special kudos go out to Chaz Schilens, who hauled in a 20-yard TD pass that was a thing of beauty. Also it was fun to watch the rushing tandem of McFadden and Fargas chew up yardage, sometimes just two or three yards, and sometimes Fargas would hit a seam, and go for eight or nine. McFadden, surprisingly had the most catches for the Raiders, with five for 41 yards, and Zach Miller had four for 70 yards.

On the Texans side, they did have some bright spots. Owen Daniels had over 100 yards, 111 receiving, while Steve Slaton ran for 66 yards.

Up next for Oakland, is the Tampa Bay Bucs who lost today to the San Diego Chargers, while the Texans finish up against the Bears.