The Raiders vs. Texans Wild Card Game Lived Down to Expectations

It was billed as a game without quarterbacks, a defensive struggle, an NFL playoff game made to leave on the TV while you go shovel snow. And it ended with the Houston Texans graduating from Maybe the Worst Team to Host a Playoff Game to Definitely the Worst Team to Win a Playoff Game.

The Texans secured a 27-14 win much the way everyone expected: With a relentless pass rush, three interceptions of the Raiders' rookie third-stringer Connor Cook and just enough Brock Osweiler rushing touchdowns to keep anything funny from happening.

Contrary to the narrative, though, the Raiders entered this game with something of a shot. Injuries to starting quarterback Derek Carr and backup Matt McGloin hurt them, for sure, but the Raiders proved in the first quarter that Cook could hand off as well as either of them.

Given a short field to work with, Raiders tailback Latavius Murray ran four times for 32 yards and a score, with a seven-yard Cook pass mixed in for good measure:

Connor Cook has a 158.3 quarterback rating on running plays.
— Patrick Daugherty (@RotoPat) January 7, 2017

But it wasn't to be.

An ankle injury to Oakland's star center Rodney Hudson, combined with a disastrous performance by fill-in left tackle Menelik Watson, left Cook under a constant assault by Jadeveon Clowney and the Texans' defensive front. Whitney Mercilus registered two of the Texans' three sacks, but Clowney's dominance was unmistakable:

Jadeveon Clowney was a beast tonight. pic.twitter.com/0zrIfpvwRG
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) January 8, 2017

The Raiders suffered injuries on the other side of the field, too, after losing two starting linebackers at various points in the game. In the end, the Raiders were just snakebitten—not even The Snake could have saved them.

More important, this game was certainly not an endorsement of the Texans as a dangerous playoff team. Osweiler completed just 14 of his 25 throws for 168 yards and a score; whether he ends up facing the New England Patriots or Kansas City Chiefs he's going to get slaughtered.

Reports before the game indicated a loss to the Raiders could get Bill O'Brien fired, but it's hard to understand what jumping over this low bar proved about O'Brien's future ability to win in Houston. Unless and until the Texans fix their offense (remember: O'Brien was brought in to fix Gary Kubiak's offense, and Kubiak's won a Super Bowl since then) they're going to be an AFC also-ran.

But as long as the AFC South keeps being the JV division of the NFL, no other team is going to take these playoff appearances—or this playoff win—away from the Texans.