If the Raiders are going to win in Week 7, they’ve got to lean on their defense to get off the field. Without Nate Hobbs in the secondary, the pass rush is going to need to dominate.
Luckily, the Texans have a ton of their own problems on offense to deal with. According to ESPN, they are currently the second-worst offense in the NFL on third down this season and are on pace to be a historically bad unit.
“The Texans have converted on 29% of third down attempts this season, the second-lowest mark in the NFL ahead of the Panthers; it’s tied with the 2009 season for their second-worst third down percentage through five games in franchise history (17% in 2002, their inaugural season).”
If the Raiders can force the Texans into 3rd and long, that’s where their pass rush should be able to dominate. But if the Texans have a bunch of third and shorts or if they just avoid third down altogether, the Raiders could be in some trouble on Sunday.
Keep an eye on how the defense performs on early downs as that will be a tell-tale sign of how things are going for the Raiders.
