Raiders receivers were afraid of getting hit. Craptree is so soft.

Decent win for the Texans against weakened opposition. Nice to see Brock Osweiler respond well at home after the pressure he's been under, but the pressure's surely going to intensify when Houston hit the road.

I said this game (in the NFL things change fast from regular season games to playoff games). They lost by 13 points. They punted the ball multiple times and Cook kept squandering good field positions and he threw three interceptions. If two of these multiple failed drives had resulted in TDs under Carr's competent guidance, we'd have had them winning by one point.
So, yeah, pretty much. This same game with Carr would be likely to have ended very differently.
I know this is hypothetical but you can't ignore that they went from an MVP-caliber QB to an overwhelmed rookie and still only lost by less than two scores.
a.k.a. Annamaris - Go Colorado Buffaloes and Denver Broncos!

This is a game that the Raiders would have won easily if they had Carr.
How? They barely beat Houston in a home field environment with beneficial officiating with Carr

Earlier this week I said the Las Vegas spread was greatly underestimating the Raiders' QB problem with a line of -4 in favor of the Texans. I was right, they beat the spread with a 13-point win.
Cook ended up with 3 interceptions and a QB rating of 30.
This is a game that the Raiders would have won easily if they had Carr.
a.k.a. Annamaris - Go Colorado Buffaloes and Denver Broncos!

Sad finish for the Raiders. After looking like a Super Bowl contender for most of the year, they end up going down with a rookie third string QB leading the offense.
As a football fan, I'm disappointed. I was looking forward to a Patriots, Raiders showdown.
-I was born in a crossfire hurricane.

Texans 27
Raiders14
4:23 to go
you re gonna need a bigger boat.

Not only a crybaby but also a coward who didn't jump on a fumbled ball. It was a disgraceful performance by Newton. I'm glad that this season Karma came back to bite him.
a.k.a. Annamaris - Go Colorado Buffaloes and Denver Broncos!

Also Cam Newton in the Super Bowl. lol what a loser crybaby.
By Grabthar's Hammerwhat a savings.

A bit hyperbolic. Just last year, we were gifted with this line from the great Brian Hoyer:
15/34, 136 yards, 0 TD, 4 INT
Final score: KC 30, HOU 0
These terrible postseason QB performances are way more frequent that we'd all like to think.
By Grabthar's Hammerwhat a savings.

Fair enough, I like your answer!!
a.k.a. Annamaris - Go Colorado Buffaloes and Denver Broncos!

LynnForTheWin2, I have no solution. I am but a humble fan, my duty is to merely complain about the state of things as I see it, but offer no viable alternatives. That, my friend, is fandom.

What you are saying makes some sense; this game highlights it like no other. But if the league were to increase protection for QBs even more, how would teams sack them and respond to the dual-threat ones who run? It would produce more offense balance problems; teams would get the QB to run more plays knowing that almost every attempt to stop him would be a penalty. They mostly get injured when sacked or when running (when they then get hit) so what would be your solution beyond what is already in the books???
a.k.a. Annamaris - Go Colorado Buffaloes and Denver Broncos!

Just goes to show you how important good quarterbacks are, as if we needed a reminder. I always cringe when folks say quarterbacks get "too much protection" from the league and referees. When competent passers get injured, this is what we're left with. Jesus Christ almighty if I had my way, quarterbacks would be 100% untouchable at all times. In my opinion there is no such thing as too much protection

Connor Cook is atrocious. This is one of the worst performances I've ever seen from a QB.

TD Houston. 27-7. That should pretty much do it for Oakland. No huge surprise in the outcome.

Flag on the play.
you re gonna need a bigger boat.

Sure, he is a rookie and is playing against a great defense with a banged-up OL, but all excuses apart, how in the hell is this pathetic Cook actually GETTING PAID to play in the NFL????
Added later: at least the poor guy managed to throw for a TD (and it seems to be the first time that a rookie QB starting his first playoff game throws for a TD) so his day wasn't a
complete
failure after all. Still horrible, with 3 interceptions and a QB rating of 30.
a.k.a. Annamaris - Go Colorado Buffaloes and Denver Broncos!

The NFL absolutely doesn't need more playoff games. A lot of the Wild Card games are trash as it is, the last thing we need is more watered down playoff games.

True. If they make the NFL playoffs like the NBA so that half the teams get in, I'll be very disappointed. We don't need more garbage 8-8, 7-9 teams getting in.
-I was born in a crossfire hurricane.

This game is trash, the next one will be trash too. Miami/Pittsburgh, that game will be trash when the Steelers ass rape the Dolphins into submission. Typically there is only one good game on wildcard weekendand this year will be no different, as the Packers/Giants should be competitive.
Wildcard weekend sucks, I can't believe people want to extend this garbage by adding teams.

This games about what people were expecting, I think. Osweiler's playing better than usual. Pretty dull, though.
Maybe Seattle and Detroit will be better. Seattle's been so wildly inconsistent this year.
-I was born in a crossfire hurricane.

Really though, Oakland's special teams have kept this game close-ish. Painful to watch the Raiders offense squander good field position time and again.
By Grabthar's Hammerwhat a savings.

F^ck you, can't sensor me. C^nt.
By Grabthar's Hammerwhat a savings.