The Las Vegas Raiders didn't quite escape with a victory in Week 16 against the Houston Texans, but the sentiment around the team is fairly positive. After so many brutal shortcomings and blowouts during the 2025 NFL season, the team and fan base were excited to finally be in a competitive game.
Obviously, rookie running back Ashton Jeanty stole the show, as he recorded 188 yards and two major touchdowns. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has also received tons of praise after limiting the Texans' offense to just 16 points and 270 total yards.
However, interim offensive coordinator Greg Olson called his best game since taking over as the Raiders' play-caller. Carving out 21 points and 315 yards of offense against Houston's league-best defense is no easy feat, but that's exactly what his unit did on Sunday.
Raiders' OC Greg Olson called incredible game in Week 16 vs. Texans
Olson, despite the team ultimately losing, may deserve a game ball for his efforts. He was praised at length for the game that he called, first by Jeanty during his appearance on the Raiders' post-game show following their Week 16 loss.
"I think we just took advantage of the mismatches, whether it was receivers running routes on the DBs or whether it was me lining up wide on a linebacker," Jeanty said. "Then the run game, we was pounding the rock. So, we just kept taking advantage of what was working throughout the course of the game."
Jeanty is right; that is exactly what Olson did. Jeanty's 60-yard touchdown reception came on the aforementioned mismatch against a linebacker, and the Raiders stayed committed to the run game, which wore down the Texans' defense and catapulted Jeanty to his 51-yard scoring jaunt.
Jason Horowitz, the radio voice of the Raiders, joined the post-game show as well and gave Olson his flowers for the game he called on Sunday.
"I thought they needed to get some bootlegs to play action to get outside the pocket to get Geno on the move. And I thought they did that early. That first three-and-out, I thought it was interesting that they took three shots down the field, and that was to open the game. ... We haven't seen any shots down the field in a really long time," Horowitz pointed out. "The effort to stick to the running game today was pretty consistent. ... How long has it been since this team really been able to accomplish that? Maybe the Bears game is the only other game all year. So, to be able to do that and stick with it, I thought it was called really well."
RELATED: Raiders fans don't know what to make of the latest Pete Carroll-Tom Brady report
Former Raiders wide receiver James Jones, a weekly host on the post-game show, agreed with both Jeanty and Horowitz's assessments about Olson.
"Coach Greg Olson today had a really good game plan. Change it up a little bit, and I think that was important for the overall performance of the running game, and that's all we've been asking for," Jones said. "When you move the pocket, those defensive ends can't just rush up the field to stop the run because Geno Smith will get outside the pocket and make some plays. And then, now, when we hand it off, they got to pause a little bit. ... I absolutely love the game plan today. I think that's what got Jeanty going."
It seems like the consensus is that Olson's adjustments were much-needed for the offense, and they paid off immediately. Jones even believes that if the Raiders continue to make improvements, they'll eclipse the 30-point mark. They've scored over 24 points just once this season, and never above 30.
On Tuesday, Geno Smith also spoke to the media and talked, generally, about Olson's success as the interim offensive coordinator in Las Vegas. He may have even been throwing a bit of shade at former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly here as well, but that is mere speculation.
"It's not easy, really, hats off to coach Olson because it's not easy stepping into that role and calling plays and using someone else's terminology, but I think he's done an outstanding job," Smith said. "I think the players are picking up on it, and obviously, we've played pretty much better than we have in the past."
This offense is certainly trending in the right direction after Week 16's game against the Houston Texans, and it seems like fans have Olson to thank for that. So, a game ball is deserved, even in a losing week.