Houston Texans – Las Vegas Raiders
Considering the Houston Texans have only been part of the NFL since 2002, it’s not surprising that they have only met the Raiders (formerly Oakland, now Las Vegas) 12 times, as of October 2022. The Texans won both the first meeting, and the last one, and they own an 8-4 series lead.
Who vs Who?
We’re not here to throw shade on anyone, especially any player who has fulfilled their dream, and made it to the NFL. It’s fair to say though, the one playoff encounter featuring these two sides, included two quarterbacks you might not necessarily associate with the biggest stage in the NFL.
The AFC wildcard clash of 2017 saw Houston’s Brock Osweiler face off against the Raiders’ Connor Cook. Yep, this really happened. Osweiler’s Texans got the win, with the Houston quarterback throwing for one TD to DeAndre Hopkins, and running in for another score. They would lose to the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round.
As for Connor Cook, he actually never played another game in the NFL (you never know, he might surprise us all, and make a comeback), as he slipped down the Raiders depth chart following Derek Carr’s return to fitness. After bouncing around various practice squads, he would then take his talents to the XFL. Still, he has thrown a postseason touchdown (to Andre Holmes), and not many people can say that.
It’s a family affair
You might be familiar with Josh McDaniels, he of New England Patriots offensive coordinator fame. He also had a relatively unsuccessful spell as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, and is now back in the main seat, and is currently the HC of the Las Vegas Raiders.
You might not be as familiar with his brother, Ben, though. He has a pretty extensive coaching career both in the collegiate, and pro ranks, and is currently the Wide Receivers coach, and passing game coordinator, at the Houston Texans. Bravo McDaniels brothers!
Sticking with the brother’s theme, David Carr, brother of current Raider number 1 QB, Derek, was drafted number 1 by the Texans, for their first ever season in the NFL. It was a pretty rough time for the elder Carr at Houston, as he finished with a losing record in each of his 5 seasons at the franchise. He was also sacked a frankly incredible 249 times while at Houston, ouch.
He mostly served as a backup for the rest of his career, but did collect a Super Bowl ring while at the New York Giants, who beat the New England Patriots in 2012. Brother Derek does have a winning season under his belt (two of them no less!) at the Raiders, but David has the Super Bowl win. We bet family reunions are a hoot.
Scoring quirk
How about this, in each of the last 3 matchups in this series, the winning team has scored exactly 27 points! Well, aside from the 2022 game which was a 20:38 Raiders blow out @ Allegiant Stadium. If you can find a prop bet offering such a market, you know what to do!