The Oakland Raiders are back in the Playoffs after more than a decade of missing the postseason action. They were one of the best teams in the NFL all season long, but they had taken a big hit when their quarterback Derek Carr went down with the injury. Now, they will be fighting an uphill battle against the Texans in Houston.
Houston Texans offense was kind of broken all season long. Osweiler didn’t do much for them, while Savage was a bit better but still not great. We still don’t know who is going to start at quarterback for this team and it seems like it doesn’t matter. Their production is almost the same. On top of that all, they are not winning their matches because of their offense.
They are doing it because of that defense that they have. This front seven are a group of hard-hitting, smash-mouth football players that were leading this squad all season long. J.J. Watt is out, but Jadeveon Clowney and others have stepped up in his absence. The defense is where Houston can make something happen.
That is just the opposite of the Oakland Raiders. Their strong suit is that offense that they have in Oakland. Amari Coopers has established himself as a legit number one option, and that has benefited everybody around him, especially Michael Crabtree who has had a big year. It’s too bad that they are not going to have their quarterback on the field.
If the Raiders are going to win this duel, the defense has to have their best performance of the season. Khalil Mack is just a beast. There is no other way around it. The defense all-around is bad, but he is the guy that can make something happen. Can he be the difference maker in this game?
Our pick is the Texans crew. This Houston’s pass rush will be on top of their game and all over Matt McGloin if he is the one to start. If he is unable to go, we are for sure not going to pick a third-stringer to win a road Playoff match. If Carr was healthy, we would have picked the Raiders in this one. But, since he is out, we are rolling with the Texans to win this duel in a real struggle. Houston will end up victorious at 17:10.
