Houston Texans Vs. Oakland Raiders: Bold Predictions For Week 11 Of 2016 NFL Season
The Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders will meet up on Monday night in Week 11 of the 2016 NFL season. As a result of Houston entering this contest with a 6-3 record, and Oakland entering with a 7-2 record, this battle has must-watch written all over it.
Oakland is the favorite coming into this matchup. Look no further than ESPN‘s power rankings to figure that one out. In said power rankings, the Raiders are ranked No. 6 while Houston is ranked No. 14. With that in mind, the Texans have won back-to-back contests. Of course, the Raiders one-upped them in that department, if you will, as they have won three games in a row.
In their last contest, the Oakland Raiders knocked off the Denver Broncos, a team that not only won the Super Bowl last season, but they also knocked off the Houston Texans by the score of 27-9 in Week 7.
Before we get to the bold predictions, let’s unleash some stats.
Oakland is averaging 27.2 points per game and giving up 24.8 points per contest in the process. Meanwhile, Houston is only putting up 17.9 points per game but is allowing just 20.9 points per contest.
And now, let the bold prediction games begin.
Derek Carr Barely Reaches The 300-Yard Mark, But Still Racks Up Three Touchdowns
Derek Carr has already racked up 2,505 passing yards (seventh in the NFL) and 17 passing touchdowns (tied for ninth-best in the league), but he will be going up against a defense that is rather stingy in the passing yards department. After all, the Texans are only allowing 196.8 passing yards per game, which is good enough for third-best in the NFL.
In comparison, Oakland is giving up 283.2 passing yards per game. There are 32 teams in the league, and the Raiders’ defense is ranked No. 30 in passing yards allowed per game, which could lead to a monster night for Brock Osweiler.
In time, Carr could be a top quarterback in this league. Heck, if Carr continues to rack up the stats, and Oakland continues to win football games, he could end up winning the NFL MVP. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, though, let’s just say this. Carr will barely reach 300 yards in the passing department, but he will still rack up three touchdowns.
Brock Osweiler Records His First 300-Yard Passing Performance Of 2016
Say what you want about Brock Osweiler, but his Houston Texans are still 6-3 on the year, a record that has playoff contender written all over it.
As crazy as it sounds, Osweiler has yet to record a 300-yard passing game in 2016. Luckily, he will be going up against a defense that gives up a ton of passing yards, which should lead to him finally recording a 300-yard performance. With that said, and here is where the bold part comes into play, Osweiler could only manage 99 passing yards (yes, 99) against the Jacksonville Jaguars in his last outing. He did, however, rack up two touchdown passes.
Oakland Grinds It Out For A Three-Point Victory
The Raiders are on the verge of becoming a top-five team in the NFL. If you don’t believe that statement, then you might want to remember that ESPN has them down as the sixth-best team in football right now. In fact, Oakland was ranked No. 3 in ESPN‘s previous rankings.
Whether it is a last-second field goal or just holding the Texans off, the Raiders will grind it out for a three-point victory in Week 11. If that is, in fact, the case, then Oakland will move to 8-2 on the season and Houston will drop to 6-4. No matter who comes out on top in this Monday night showdown, both teams will still be very much alive when it comes to making the playoffs.
Nonetheless, look for MVP candidate Carr to take over in this battle.
[Featured Image by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images]
