The Houston Texans (5-0) once again defended their home field as they shut out the Oakland Raiders (2-3) 21-0. The defense stole the show in this game, holding Raiders QB Jason Campbell to just 21 yards passing and RB Darren McFadden to 54 yards rushing. The young linebackers for the Texans made a combined 15 tackles, 7 of those for negative yards. Safety Daniel Manning had himself a great game in the secondary, forcing a fumble and intercepting Campbell.
The Texans offense was good enough to get the job done. The defense constantly set up the team with a short field to work with, which contributed to the lower offensive numbers usually put up by this high-powered attack. Stafford threw for 214 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was helped out on the ground by Arian Foster, who chipped in 58 yards and a touchdown. Fullback Lawrence Fisher added his first touchdown of the year on a short 1-yard plunge.
Next week, Houston travels to Baltimore in Week 6 to take on the Ravens in a battle for playoff position. It is also the last week before the trade deadline, so we’ll see if the new GM makes any moves before the week is over.
