Houston Texans

Oakland Raiders Blueprint to Victory Vs. Houston Texans

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:26 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Maurice Moton/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

Nov 21, 2016; Mexico City, MEX; Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio looks on from the sidelines against the Houston Texans at Estadio Azteca. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

What should the Oakland Raiders coaching staff add into their weekly game plan against the Houston Texans for Saturday’s AFC wild-card matchup?

The Oakland Raiders prepare for their first postseason game since Super Bowl XXXVII. What should head coach Jack Del Rio and his staff throw into the winning formula against the Houston Texans on Wild Card Weekend?

Earlier in the week, the Raiders officially named rookie quarterback Connor Cook as the starter. Despite adding signal-caller Garrett Gilbert to the practice squad, the team hopes Matt McGloin will be in shape to serve as the primary backup, per Bay Area News Group reporter Jimmy Durkin:

The Raiders earned a victory over the Texans in Mexico City during Week 11, but quarterback Derek Carr helped lead the team to victory, from behind, with 295 passing yards and three touchdown scores. Putting the past behind them, the Raiders must find another way to beat Houston with a quarterback making his first start in the postseason, which is a first in the Super Bowl era.

During Del Rio’s press conference on Wednesday, he spoke more about the defense playing up to expectations more so than the pressure on his rookie passer.

With that statement, Del Rio subtly put defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and the defense to task for Saturday’s matchup. What specifically can the Raiders do on both sides of the ball to seal a victory?

Nov 21, 2016; Mexico City, MEX; Houston Texans running back Lamar Miller (26) is hit out of bounds by Oakland Raiders safety Karl Joseph (42) setting up a Texans

Limit Texans’ No. 1 Weapon: Lamar Miller

In Wednesday’s media conference, Del Rio mentioned Texans running back Lamar Miller, who ran for 104 yards against the Raiders’ inconsistent run defense. Many view wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins as the most dangerous weapon within the Texans offense. However, Miller logged 1,261 yards from scrimmaged compared to Hopkins’ 954 yards in 2016.

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After consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus receiving yards, Hopkins failed to reach the threshold largely due to quarterback Brock Osweiler’s inability to throw an accurate deep ball. According to ESPN Stats and Info, he’s only completing 27 percent of his passes 15-plus yards downfield. Nonetheless, he dinked and dunked his way to a decent performance against the Raiders in Week 11.

Norton must prepare his front seven for a heavy dose of Miller, who’s refreshed after missing two games with an ankle injury. The defensive line can’t allow him to penetrate through the gaps. The linebackers must limit his production as a receiver in the flat.

Oakland has allowed 100-plus rushing yards in 11 out of 16 games this year. If the front seven falters and allows Osweiler to hand off 25-30 times with success, the Raiders would likely lose the time-of-possession battle and seriously jeopardize their chances at a victory.

Oct 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders strong safety Karl Joseph (42) looks on prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Coliseum.

Safety Help for Intermediate Pass Defense

Houston doesn’t have the quarterback under center to beat Oakland with deep bombs downfield. The Raiders can line up with one high safety to scan the back end and break on a pass headed toward wideouts Will Fuller or Hopkins.

Norton should interchange safeties Karl Joseph and Reggie Nelson’s duties between intermediate pass defense and run support. However, if the rookie feels very little pain in his toe on game day, he’s more versatile near the line of scrimmage. Joseph packs power and solid tackling in run defense. He also possesses the ability to shorten Osweiler’s idle time in the pocket on blitz assignments.

During the first outing, Osweiler attempted five passes deep downfield—he only completed two—one to Fuller and the other to the tight end Ryan Griffin. The Raiders would do themselves a disservice dropping both safeties until the Texans’ signal-caller proves his effectiveness throwing 15-plus yards downfield.

Oakland’s linebacker corps has been hit-or-miss when defending short passes to tight ends and running backs. An extra safety would be necessary when neutralizing Osweiler’s check-down targets and go-to options on throws near the first-down marker.

Jan 1, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Connor Cook (8) passes in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 24-6.

Allow Connor Cook to Throw Downfield

Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave must put an end to the gadget plays with wide receiver Johnny Holton. With Cook’s inexperience, the coaching staff will shorten the playbook. Nonetheless, the rookie passer has the arm strength and downfield accuracy to stretch the defense on occasion.

Unlike Osweiler, Cook put his deep-ball accuracy on display with a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Amari Cooper against the league’s stingiest pass defense:

Throughout his collegiate years, Cook showed the same penchant to nail targets 20-plus yards downfield. However, he struggles with intermediate targets, which may hinder the running backs ability to shine as receivers. NFL.com draft analysis Lance Zierlein pinpointed the Michigan State product’s perpetuating weakness coming into the league:

Musgrave must understand Cook’s assets as a pocket-passer. An overly conservative game plan could impede the rookie’s ability to move the ball downfield. Instead, opening the playbook to a few deep routes for Michael Crabtree and Cooper could be more effective.

Dec 24, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tight end Clive Walford (88) scores on a 5-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts during a NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.

More Tight End Use Down Seams

Due to Cook’s inaccuracies as an intermediate passer, Musgrave should feature tight ends in routes 15-20 yards down the seam. Activating the tight ends in the passing game provides big safe targets for an inexperienced passer and creates room for completions to the running backs.

Clive Walford and Mychal Rivera boast catch percentages above 63 percent. Yet, both tight ends have fewer targets than wideout Seth Roberts who logged a 49 percent catch percentage in his second season. Cook will go through his reads, but two-tight end sets may help him a lot more than three-wide receiver formations.

Rivera will hit the free-agent market in the offseason, which means he could add millions to his contract with an impact on the Raiders’ postseason. Walford narrowly topped his rookie year numbers. He can add some playoff catches to his decent sophomore season.

Keep in mind, the Texans have an exceptional perimeter defender in cornerback A.J. Bouye and solid pass defenders in Kareem Jackson and Johnathan Joseph in the secondary. Cook doesn’t have to challenge the No. 2 pass defense in conventional fashion. Rivera and Walford could help mix up the attack and keep defensive backs guessing on every snap.

Dec 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave reacts during a NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium.

Avoid Long-Distance 3rd Downs

As mentioned, the Raiders utilized their running backs as receiving threats in Mexico City. Oakland accumulated 30 rushing yards, but Latavius Murray, Jalen Richard and Jamize Olawale racked up a combined 11 catches for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

Whether the Raiders hand off and dump off to their running backs, it’s important to keep the chains moving forward. Last week against the Denver Broncos, Oakland’s offense moved backward on far too many occasions. Negative yardage set up unfavorable long-yardage conversion attempts on third down.

In addition to poor play schemes such as screen passes or handoffs out of the shotgun formation on third-and-long, the players need to show discipline pre- and post-snap to limit infractions. As the league leader in committed penalties per game (6.1), Oakland can’t hand over first downs or set themselves back against a stout defense.

Cook can help the Raiders escape a jam on third-and-12 with a pinpoint strike down the seam. However, the offense can’t expect him to become Carr and consistently bail out an undisciplined team.

Furthermore, short-yardage situations allow Cook the opportunity to gamble on a few low-risk, high-reward throws on second down. If the rookie signal-caller protects the football when scrambling, the Raiders can win a tight defensive matchup.

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