The Texans barely managed to hold onto their lead in the first half. After dominating offensively for most of the first two quarters, the Texans started slowing down and missed some scoring opportunities late.
Part of that was Matt Schaub going cold on his throws at the end of the first half, as he went just 2 for 8 down the stretch, just missing throws to Jacoby Jones and Co. that could have kept the chains moving. Schaub is 13-of-21 for 177 yards with two touchdowns and an interceptions in the first half.
Oakland also got more pressure on Schaub after those first series and have done an okay job of bottling up Arian Foster. At leat, the Texans’ main running back hasn’t broken many long runs yet. Foster has 54 yards on 15 carries in the first half.
Schaub’s interception also can’t really be blamed on him, as it was a good defensive play with the Raiders’ John Henderson deflecting the pass to Lamar Houston.
The biggest news out of this game will be Mario Williams’ injury. If his pectoral muscle is torn, he could miss significant time. The Texans pass rush got noticeably worse once he left the field, so that is a big concern for Houston moving forward. As one of the ESPN commenters said in a chat, Houston is now without its best offensive and defensive players. That has to hurt.
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