Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans: 3 things we learned

Raiders defense is the weak link of the team

Sunday’s loss against Houston marks the Raiders second loss in a row, and the second loss in which the defense was largely to blame. Deshaun Watson finished the day 27/39 279 yards and 3 touchdowns where the Texans offense finally came full circle in the second half.

In the second half, Watson found ways to exploit the Raiders defense with his legs — running for a total of 46 yards on the ground, but most importantly using his legs in timely situations. The Raiders recorded three sacks with Jonathan Hankins, Benson Mayowa and Arden Key all bringing Watson to the turf, but there were also crucial instances where Watson appeared to be trapped in the pocket, and found ways to wiggle his way out to convert.

DeAndre Hopkins eclipsed 100 yards and hauled in 11 receptions. He’s arguably one the best wide receivers in football, but for whatever reason Paul Guenther’s defense had linebackers covering him time and time again — not the ideal recipe to stop the Texans’ two-time all-pro pass catcher.

The defensive side of the ball is an area the Raiders could look to upgrade before the October 29th trade deadline hits.