“We got punched in the mouth and weren’t doing the things we wanted to do,” Carr said. “But there was no doubt we were going to win that game. That’s a testament to the character and toughness we’ve built the last couple of years.”
The Raiders were a step slow until they weren’t, when Olawale shocked the country — two countries, actually — with his 75-yard touchdown catch with 10:44 left. It’s a favorite play of offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave; routes run by Raiders receivers often leave the unsuspecting defense not looking for the fullback.
A variation worked for a 68-yard touchdown against the Bucs last month, and Olawale showed his speed again Monday night when he made free safety Andre Hall miss after the catch.
Raiders running backs finished with 11 catches for 199 yards.
“All those guys can make plays,” Del Rio said. “Olawale can break loose and do some damage. They all have explosive capabilities and Derek did a great job of finding him there.”
And just like that, with the three big plays from the offense, all the drops, footing issues, the inability to stop Houston defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and wide-open Houston tight ends were forgotten. The Raiders are 8-2, alone in first place in the AFC West and are international conquerors.
They also still have luck going for them, as most of the fourth-quarter calls have gone their way this season. On Monday, Houston running back Akeem Hunt seemed to get the first down on 4th-and-1 with 6:15 left, but the Texans got a bad spot and Carr, Murray and Cooper were in business.
The Raiders had jumped to a 10-3 lead on a Jalen Richard 17-yard TD catch and Sebastian Janikowski’s 19-yard field goal. But the Texans grabbed control of the game temporarily in the second and third quarter.
After rookie linebacker Shilique Calhoun dropped what looked like an interception (with an easy path to the end zone), the Texans marched down the field. The “home crowd” did its part. On a third-down play in the second quarter, Houston quarterback Brock Osweiler had to call a timeout because Raiders fans were too loud.
Houston running back Lamar Miller broke through the line when linebacker Bruce Irvin couldn’t set the edge and looked to score from 34 yards out. A replay showed he was out at the 1. Two plays and 11 yards backward later, Osweiler found Braxton Miller for a 12-yard touchdown. Miller gave cornerback David Amerson not only a double move, but a slow-motion triple move and Amerson turned to jelly.
Then, to start the third quarter, Carr did something he hasn’t done for a couple of years — throw one up for grabs where there were more defenders than receivers. The interception by A.J. Bouye fueled another Houston drive, with Lamar Miller punching it in from a yard out.
The Raiders had a chance to answer right back, but Michael Crabtree’s great hands apparently didn’t get their work visa settled as he had his second drop of the night. This one was in the end zone on a deep pass from Carr.
Carr went right back to him on the next play, deep again, and Crabtree was dragged down for a pass-interference call. The Raiders, despite a first down at the 8-yard line, couldn’t score a touchdown. They settled for another Janikowski field goal and trailed 17-13.
It’s been a while
The Raiders used to make a habit out of winning at least eight of their first 10 games — they haven’t done so since 2001 — and it usually foreshadowed a deep postseason run.
| Season | After 10 | Finish | Outcome |
| 1967 | 9-1 | 13-1 | Lost Super Bowl II |
| 1968 | 8-2 | 12-2 | Lost AFL Championship |
| 1969 | 8-1-1 | 12-1-1 | Lost AFL Championship |
| 1974 | 9-1 | 12-2 | Lost AFC Championship |
| 1975 | 8-2 | 11-3 | Lost AFC Championship |
| 1976 | 9-1 | 13-1 | Won Super Bowl XI |
| 1977 | 8-2 | 11-3 | Lost AFC Championship |
| 1995 | 8-2 | 8-8 | No playoffs |
| 2000 | 8-2 | 12-4 | Lost AFC Championship |
| 2001 | 8-2 | 10-6 | Lost AFC Division round |
| 2016 | 8-2 | ? | TBD |
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