Another Way to Collapse" vs. Houston Texans

Perhaps Tom Walsh should have been demoted to placekicker or tight end.Costly mistakes on offense and special teams propelled the to their 10th loss on Sunday, falling to the Houston Texans, 23-14.Playing with an injured back, kicker Sebastian Janikowski was off-target on all three of Steelers 43 Polamalu jersey
his field goal attempts. The 250-pounder missed a 53-yard attempt late in the first half, a 37-yarder early in the third quarter, and a 29-yard stab just six minutes later.Earlier in the week, the Raiders auditioned Paul Edinger, who had previously kicked for the Minnesota Vikings, and rookie Kurt Smith from Virginia. Though, on Thursday, Janikowski assured media that he would be ready for Sunday's home meeting with the struggling Texans."If I kick [today] I will be all right," he said four days before gameday. "Even if I kick Saturday, I'll be fine."It turned out he wasn't so fine.The nine points No. 11 left on the board were much of the reason why the Raiders fell short of their third possible victory on Sunday, but not the entire reason.Along with a struggling kicking game, the defensive side of the special teams unit also sent Oakland home without a win. The team allowed an 87-yard kick return at the outset of the second half that would lead to a Wali Lundy 3-yard touchdown run on the ensuing play. Then, early in the fourth quarter, cornerback Dexter Wynn returned a punt 58 yards to the Oakland 21-yard line. Had it not been for an open-field takedown by punter Shane Lechler, the Texans would have exchanged a 42-yard field goal for seven points.After both long returns, the Texans led by just three points.Credit the Raiders' defense, which held quarterback David Carr to minus-5 net passing yards. Houston's win marks the first time since 1981 a team came out on top after passing for negative yardage. The 27-year-old quarterback finished the day with just seven completions on 14 attempts for 32 yards, but was sacked five times for a loss of 37 yards. In all, the offense gained just 124 yards -- 178 yards less than Oakland -- and fumbled three times, losing two.As many as Randal Williams lost in the fourth quarter.The tight end, who caught six passes for 46 yards on the day, fumbled on two consecutive offensive plays, both of which came with the game within a one-score reach. The first fumble set the Texans up for a 47-yard field goal; the second set them up for a 39-yarder just two minutes, 25 seconds later. After No. 86 let the ball hit the turf twice, the score was widened to 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
23-14, and the Raiders were out of timeouts."You can't make mistakes that we made offensively and the mistakes on our coverage teams and expect to win against anybody," head coach Art Shell said following the game.It seems like the can only beat themselves.Want to be in the Raiders mailbag? Visit RaidersLive.com to submit your questions and comments for the Dec. 15 mailbag. (33)