Sadly, Oakland’s season is finally over. They lost to the Houston Texans in the wildcard round, and during the game, it never looked close. It was obvious that they were missing their star quarterback, as well as starting left tackle, Donald Penn. Despite a valiant effort from rookie Connor Cook, the Houston Texans will be the ones advancing to the next round of the AFC playoffs.
Oakland Raiders Wild Card Takeaways
The Real MVP
Derek Carr likely won’t win the MVP award, but after the performances the Raiders put on without him, it’s obvious he deserves it. With Derek Carr, the Raiders likely would’ve won this game. In all honesty, with Derek Carr, the Raiders likely would’ve locked up the division and won the AFC West.
Connor Cook tried his best, but he was obviously out of his depth. For a rookie quarterback to make his first career start in the playoffs on the road against the league’s number one defense? That’s impossible. The Raiders couldn’t generate anything on offense, and it was easy to see why.
Houston loaded the box, taking away the run, and forcing Cook to throw. Without Donald Penn on the left side, Jadeveon Clowney was after Cook all day, and he never got a chance to gain his confidence. Without Derek Carr, the Raiders offense looked hopeless.
Defensive Decadence
The Raiders defense was just bad. They couldn’t get a pass rush, they couldn’t stop Brock Osweiler, and they might as well have stayed on the sideline. They were embarrassing, and outside of Khalil Mack and back-up safety Brynden Trawick, nobody bothered to show up. Frankly, the Raiders were bad on both sides of the ball, and they made an adequate Texans team look unstoppable.
What Did You Expect?
Honestly, the Oakland Raiders weren’t going to get very far into the playoffs. Without Derek Carr, the man with the most game-winning touchdown passes in a season in NFL history, they didn’t have a ton of hope. That didn’t stop the Raider Nation though. The most passionate fanbase in sports believed in their team, and they never gave up. This concludes the 2016 NFL season, but it’s not the end of the world. In fact, it could be the beginning of something wonderful. The Raiders will be back, and they’ll be back for blood.
