Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans: 3 things to watch in Week 8

Raiders need to win First Half

We’ve spoken before on just how important it is that the Raiders jump on teams early given their play style, but it is even more critical when you face teams like the Texans that can strike quickly.

The Raiders did some good things last week against the Packers, but their sloppiness in the red zone killed them, and when it was 21-10 at the half, the game was essentially over.

We can use the excuse that it was the Packers, but the Texans are fully capable of doing the same with their offense.

Now scheme-wise, it will be interesting to see how the Raiders approach this game early. They are a run-first team with Josh Jacobs, but the Texans have apparent issues in the secondary, and that would be the area to exploit for a possible early lead.

The Raiders should also be able to finish drives better this week as the Texans are 30th in red-zone scoring defense.

This is an excellent matchup for Derek Carr and passing game, so the Raiders need to try and get a nice lead early to help the defense.