Everyone in the Bay Area knew that the Oakland Raiders were probably going to deliver the most emotional game of the week in the wake of owner Al Davis' passing on Saturday. What they weren't expecting was an instant classic that came down to the very last second against the Houston Texans.The Raiders were able to walk away with a huge 25-20 win over the heavy favorite Texans. We're still not entirely sure how they did it, but here are some of the key numbers.
Sebastian Janikowski got the Raiders scoring started with a 54-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 55-yard field goal in the second quarter. Janikowski didn't have any easy assignments in this one, as he also added 50-yard and 42-yard field goals in the second half.
Field goals were far from the only story in this back-and-forth game. The Texans were overwhelmingly dominant in passing yards, total yards, total plays, and had nearly twice as many first downs as the Raiders.The only key stat that the Raiders led in (besides field goals) was a slight edge in rushing yards: 94 yards to Houston's 74. The Raiders, in typical Raiders fashion, even racked up more penalty yards than the Texans.
Two key stats stand out in this one: the Texans were only one-for-three in red zone attempts. This may not seem like a big deal considering the Raiders were in the red zone even less (one-for-one in red zone attempts), but when Oakland has a kicker routinely making field goals from midfield, it's important to capitalize. The second stat that stands out is Houston's two interceptions thrown compared to Oakland's one.
Considering the game ended at the very last instant when Matt Schaub threw that last interception into the waiting arms of Michael Huff in Oakland's end zone, "two interceptions" pretty much says it all.