'Figured Out': Raiders Crack Texans' Code Late for Massive 4th Quarter

The Las Vegas Raiders felt they figured out the Houston Texans in some key ways to pull off a 21-point fourth quarter en route to victory.

The Las Vegas Raiders (2-4) got off to a slow start in their 38-20 win over the Houston Texans (1-4-1), but ultimately, an unraveling unfolded late that changed the outcome of the game. 

Josh Jacobs was instrumental in the Raiders' efforts as he rushed for a total of 143 yards with three second-half touchdowns. Whatever Las Vegas attempted to accomplish in the ground game, the Texans' defense had no answer.

“I think it’s more of a credit to the offensive line,” Jacobs said. “I come back to them all the time because I feel like it’s the first time in a long time where I’ve had four to five yards without being touched by anybody. They’re making it pretty easy on me, and I’m gonna make sure I take care of them for sure.”

The Raiders ultimately had to use sharp execution in the fourth quarter to overcome a three-point deficit. Las Vegas not only did that but they managed to to use 21 fourth-quarter points to win by an 18-point margin. There was a sense of 

“We expected the game to come down to the fourth quarter,” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said. “It’s all them — the players win the game. They settled down, they got into the flow of the game, they understood how Houston was playing us and they made the plays.”

For the Texans, there was strong execution offensively through three quarters with a season-high 404 yards and 20 points on the board. Houston sees it as a sign for what they could achieve on a more regular basis, but there was a significant lack of defensive execution in the second half. 

“Offensively we saw signs of what we can be,” Texans coach Lovie Smith said. “Defensively we just didn’t play well enough, kind of simple as that. I thought first half-wise we were in pretty good shape, but second half we didn’t do what we needed to.”

Before the Texans can re-emerge as a winning organization, greater consistency will be required. Rarely has there been quality execution on both sides of the football within the same game this season. 

The Texans return to action with a Week 8 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.

---

Want the latest in breaking and insider news for the Houston Texans? Click Here

Follow Texans Daily on Twitter and Facebook

Make sure to subscribe to our daily podcast @LockedOnTexans today! Click here To Listen.