oaklandraiders

The Oakland Raiders defeated the Houston Texans for the first time in the Texans’ short history. To accomplish this, the Raiders offense, defense, and special teams all came together and played well. For most of the season, it would be one of the three units would have a really good game, whilst the others had bad games. Yesterday it came together and the Raiders beat a surging Texans team.

In this game, youth was served, as it was young players who carried the team. Mario Henderson at left tackle, Johnnie Lee Higgins and Chaz Schilens at wide receiver, JaMarcus Russell at quarterback, and Darren McFadden at running back. This shows that if the Raiders bring in the proper coaching this offseason, that they can have a potent offense.

The defense had a rough start, but was able to buckle down and have a strong rest of the game. Nnamdi Asomugha and Chris Johnson were able to render Andre Johnson ineffective. Derrick Burgess and Jay Richardson both got to Texan quarterback Matt Schaub. Ultimately, the defense only allowed one touchdown and that includes holding on a goal to go situation inside the 5.

The Raiders close out their season with a trip to Tampa Bay on Sunday to face their former coach and the father of another former coach.

With these past six years of futility , it is hard to fathom just how dominant the Oakland Raiders were once upon a time. Rather than being the butt of jokes, Al Davis was a maverick and one of the pillars of the National Football League.

In the decade of the 70s, the Raiders were AFC West champions all but three years. They won one Super Bowl during that time, and were perinnaly in the AFC Championship game. Their rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers was one of the most heated battles in all of sports.

Check out this retrospective:

Today, the Oakland Raiders got a bit of good news when it was announced that defensive back Nnamdi Asomugha and Shane Lechler were named to the AFC Pro Bowl team. Considering the dismal season the Raiders are having, it shows that these two players are truly among the best at their positions. Isaiah Ekejiuba was also named as the alternate Special Teams player, so he will get the call if others pull out.

Congratulations to Nnamdi Asomugha, Shane Lechler, and Isaiah Ekejiuba.

For more on the Oakland Raiders check out Thoughts from the Dark Side and Examiner.com.