Raiders doing it for Big Al turn back the clock and somehow, someway, pull out a tough victory on the road. It wasn't pretty and the Raiders didn't do a lot of bullying, but they found a way to finish as victors.
The Oakland Raiders looked like they wanted to win one for Al, God rest his soul, but they struggled to live up to that commitment in the first half (Raiders 12 Texans 14.) The second half saw the Raiders playing with commitment and executing their way through a fiesty 3-1 Houston Texans team.
The game came down to the final 7 seconds of the game. Texans quarterback Matt Schaub had just completed a hail-mary like pass to the 5 yard line.
The snap and those 7 seconds seem like hours as Schaub goes back to pass. He begins running toward the endzone with a Raiders defender quickly closing in. Looks like he could make the endzone. Instead, Schaub fakes then throws to the endzone for what appears for a millisecond to be an open receiver. Jumping in front of the receiver to snatch the ball and victory out of the Texans hands is Raiders safety #24 Michael Huff. Ballgame!
7 catches
99 rec yards
1 touchdown
4 tackles
1 interception
Sebastian Janikowski
4/4 field goals
54, 55, 50, 42 FG yards
I watched this game at Ricky's Sports Bar in San Leandro with the Black Hole crew. As I told Ricky after the game while shaking hands, "the place continues to live up to Raider Nation expectations." Where else but Ricky's would a Raiders fan want to watch an away game? Definitely a Sunday to remember.
The Hazmat Boyz represented at Ricky's during and after the game. Check out their Raider Nation video, SOLIDARITY. It's tight! Half the folks in the video were at Ricky's enjoying the game. Black Hole Stand UP!
