SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 14, 2014
Texans 30, Raiders 14: Defensive end J.J. Watt caught a touchdown pass and Arian Foster posted his 27th career 100-yard rushing performance as visiting Houston trounced Oakland.
Foster carried 28 times for 138 yards and a score while Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 14-of-19 passes for 139 yards and two TDs for the Texans (2-0), who halted their seven-game road losing streak and matched their win total for the entire 2013 season. Andre Johnson made six catches for 74 yards and DeAndre Hopkins had a touchdown reception.
Rookie Derek Carr was 27-of-42 for 263 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions and gained a team-leading 58 yards on the ground as the Raiders (0-2) lost for the fourth time in five meetings with Houston. Darren McFadden rushed 12 times for 37 yards and a touchdown while James Jones had nine receptions for 112 yards and a score.
Lined up as a tight end on a second-and-goal play, Watt ran into the end zone untouched and hauled in Fitzpatrick's 1-yard toss with 9:37 left in the first quarter for the first offensive TD by a defensive player in franchise history. Foster doubled the lead with a 5-yard run late in the period and Randy Bullock made a 33-yard field goal in the second as Houston took a 17-0 lead into halftime.
Fitzpatrick connected with Hopkins on a 12-yard scoring strike with 8:29 remaining in the third and Bullock converted a 39-yard kick later in the quarter for a 27-point advantage. Oakland finally got on the board in the opening minute of the fourth on a 1-yard run by McFadden, but Bullock sealed the win with a 46-yard field goal with less than five minutes to play.
GAME NOTEBOOK: To sum up Oakland's afternoon, Jones fumbled twice on the same play in the second quarter, recovering his first and racing toward the end zone before again coughing up the ball, which was pounced on by Houston at its 3-yard line. ... Raiders RB Maurice Jones-Drew was inactive due to a hand injury. ... The Texans outgained Oakland 111-3 in the first quarter.