Rob Leifheit-US PRESSWIRE

No sane person can blame Oakland’s ugly loss in Cincinnati on the latest injustice the Raiders have suffered at the hands of horrible officiating.

Yes, the negated fumble and possible touchdown return did turn the tide of the game whose tide was already turning in favor of the Raiders. But when you’re trying to make up a 24 point deficit there is not a single play that can turn the tide.

What we do know for sure is that inadvertent whistle helped to ignite a brawl that followed on the ensuing play.

Lamarr Houston – clearly tired of playing to the echo of whistles that might or might not have been blown intentionally – rushed Andy Dalton and took him to the ground after a whistle had blown. That set off Andrew Whitworth of the Bengals who quickly got in the face of Houston. That act in turn fired up Tommy Kelly to get in the mix.

While plenty of players piled on the scrum after the dust settled only three were ejected. All of the aforementioned men got an early shower and now they’ll await their fate for the coming weeks.

It should be pointed out that an ejection does not equate to an automatic suspension. The league reviews each case individually and has begun to do so following Sunday’s dust up.

For the Raiders losing both Kelly and Houston would be crippling as if a team mired in a miserable 4 game losing streak can be anymore crippled. However the second half of Sunday’s loss did provide some hope. The Silver and Black finally played up for Dennis Allen coming out of halftime and had a brief moment when the game was within touching distance. Of course we know how the game ended so the only drama remaining is to see what the league decides.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Call it an ugly win. Call it a flawed victory. Whatever you call it just win, baby. That’s all that mattered and when it mattered most on Sunday for the Raiders Lamarr Houston made the biggest play of the game.

For his forced fumble in OT Houston was able to give the Raiders the chance to seal a come from behind victory over the Jaguars. For his seven tackle, one sack and one forced fumble effort overall Houston was named the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week.

The honor is one that is long overdue for every member of Oakland’s talented yet inconsistent defensive line. Houston has shown promise from the moment he first put on Silver and Black. Until Sunday we hadn’t seen much of either his presence or that of any member on the D-line this year.

Hopefully the honor will spurn Houston on to future performances like his last. More importantly let’s hope the OT victory over Jacksonville pushes the Raiders in the right direction towards more W’s.

Congrats to Houston for his honor. It always feels good to be congratulated after a great day on the job.

Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

It’s almost embarrassing that ESPN’s AFC West blogger Bill Williamson ranked the top defensive linemen in the division and Raiders occupy four of the top six slots. It’s embarrassing for a lot of reasons.

For one the unit looked nothing like a top tier bunch last season. Top notch D-lines don’t get the ball shoved down their throats by every team under the sun no matter their running pedigree. The New England Patriots couldn’t run the rock to save their lives until they came to Oakland last season. Just sayin’.

It’s also embarrassing because much of what went into Williamson’s rankings is all based on potential and past promise. Richard Seymour is at the point in his career when he gets a pass based on his past accomplishments. Seymour clocks in at the top spot in the AFC West according to Williamson. I’m not saying Seymour is past his prime and isn’t playing at a high level. I’m just making the case that Tommy Kelly has been the better performer these last two years.

At the number four spot, just beneath Kelly, is Lamarr Houston a man that showed plenty of potential as a rookie yet didn’t progress much during his second season. Houston has long been the darling of scouts because of his upside. We’re all still waiting to see that talent come to the field every Sunday.

While we’re on the subject of potential, Matt Shaughnessy rounds out Oakland’s D-line bounty as the sixth rated lineman in the AFC West. Now we all know Shaughnessy’s talent is real. Truth be told he could be Oakland’s best lineman but he too has yet to put it all together. 2011 was supposed to be his breakout season but a shoulder injury ended that.

Overall the talent is there. Problem is when you throw on the game tape you don’t see it every Sunday. Some games Seymour and Kelly are monsters in the middle while Shaughnessy and Houston are terrors on the outside. The next week that line is nowhere to be found.

Consistency is what separates the greats from the very goods. Oakland’s line has been very good but not great.

Perhaps the new defensive philosophy will allow this unit to shine the way we know it can. But until then this is just more hype. Wake me up when the results are on the field.

In order for the Raiders to take that next step and make the leap into the playoffs they’re going to need an improved defense. Not a dominant defense, not with the amazing collection of offensive talent the Raiders boast. Just an opportunistic, bend but don’t break style of D that can make big plays and get key stops.

Is that asking too much?

Football still is and always will be a physical competition. The rules may change by the essence of the game remains the same. The tone is set by the men in the trenches doing the dirty work. Oakland’s D-line has the talent to affect the outcome of any game on any given Sunday. We just haven’t seen that often enough. This could be Seymour’s final season as a Raider so it would be nice to see him come full circle by getting this team into the postseason. It is a real possibility if all the promise of the front four comes into full view in 2012.