Statistically Speaking – Oakland Raiders vs Houston Texans – Week 2, 2014

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sport

For Week Two of the 2014 NFL Season, the Houston Texans travel to Oakland to take on the Raiders in their home opener. Lets look at some statistics around this matchup and how they rank after the first week of the NFL Season.

• The Raiders have played the Texans a total of 8 times, with the Texans leading the series 5-3. They have played 4 games each in Oakland and Houston, with the Raiders holding a 1-3 record at home.
• The Raiders have won the last two in this series, including last year by the score of 28-23. The last game they played in Oakland was in 2010, which the Raiders lost 31-24.
• The Raiders offense in week 1 was the worst in the NFL in total yards (158), passing yards (133), rushing yards (25) and 28th in points scored (14). They did not turn the ball over, although they had one fumble and a couple dropped interceptions.
• The Texans defense only gave up 6 points against the Redskins to open the season. The Texan defense allowed 267 yards passing (9.2 yards per completion). They also allowed 138 yards rushing by the running backs (7.3 yards per carry). The Texans defense forced two turnovers, both fumble recoveries.
• The Raiders offense converted 25% of their third downs, which is exactly what the Texans defense gave up in week 1. The Raiders converted their only red zone chance in week one, while the Texans defense was 1 for 2 in the red zone during their week 1 match up.
• The Raiders offense gave up two sacks, while the Texans defense recorded 3 sacks. The Texans special teams also blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown.
• The Texans offense after week 1, are ranked in the NFL: 22nd in total yards (321), 20th in passing yards (206), 15th in rushing yards (115) and 22nd in scoring (17). Although it should be noted that the Texans offense only scored 10 points. Arian Foster lost a fumble which was their only turnover.
• The Raiders defense gave up 19 points,  221 yards passing (9.6 per completion) and 174 rushing yards to the running backs (7.25 yards per carry). The Raiders defense forced two turnovers, one interception and one fumble recovery.
• The Texans offense converted 50% of their third downs and the Raiders allowed a 41% third down conversion rate. The Texans were 0 for 2 on red zone chances in week one, while the Raiders defense was a solid 3 for 4 in stopping the Jets red zone chances. The Texans did not allow a sack against the Redskins and the Raiders defense recorded two sacks against the Jets.

It’s only 1 game out of 16, so these obviously can change from week to week as we start, but eventually we will see a trend. I think this game is not an any given Sunday type of game, I think the Raiders have a legit shot to win and quite frankly this is a game you should win at home. Hopefully they will and that will make me and my son 2-0 when we attend home openers together. Hopefully it’s the start of a long-standing tradition.