Buy or Sell: Oakland Raiders vs. Houston Texans

Nov 21, 2016; Mexico City, MEX; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) celebrates after a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans during a NFL International Series game at Estadio Azteca. The Raiders defeated the Texans 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2016; Mexico City, MEX; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) celebrates after a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans during a NFL International Series game at Estadio Azteca. The Raiders defeated the Texans 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Oct 30, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Michael Crabtree Needs His Gold Chain.

Buy.

Prior to the Raiders’ Monday night matchup, veteran wide receiver Michael Crabtree torched opposing defenses outside the hashes with a gold chain hanging from his neck. Against Houston, Crabtree’s chain failed to make an appearance, and so did his production.

Crabtree caught just three of his seven targets for a season-low five yards, dropping two easy first down receptions and failing to bring in what would have been a deep touchdown from Carr in the third quarter.

After Crabtree’s first drop of the game, we dropped some advanced analytics as proof.

Though blaming Crabtree’s poor performance because he was without his chain is arbitrary, Oakland’s offense will continue to sputter if he is unable to carry his strong play over to the second half of the season.

Asking Crabtree to strike gold every week isn’t realistic; asking him to wear gold every week should be a no-brainer.