NFL-Texans beat injury-hit Raiders 27-14 in wild card game

Jan 7 (The Sports Xchange) - With their top-ranked defense meeting expectations against a rookie quarterback making his first career start, the Houston Texans cruised to a 27-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders in an AFC wild card playoff game in Houston on Saturday. Raiders quarterback Connor Cook looked every bit like a third-stringer pressed into emergency duty, completing 18 for 45 passes for 161 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. With starter Derek Carr (leg) and backup Matt McGloin (shoulder) out, Cook was the lone option. The Texans, who led the NFL in yards allowed for the first time in franchise history, showed Cook no mercy. Making their first postseason appearance since the 2002 Super Bowl, the Raiders did not eclipse 100 total yards until their first possession of the fourth quarter, doing so on a 10-yard pass from Cook to tight end Mychal Rivera that also marked their first third-down conversion after an 0-of-11 start. By that point, the Texans led by 20 points behind a solid performance from quarterback Brock Osweiler. Osweiler passed for 168 yards and a touchdown and turned a 1-yard bootleg into a 27-7 lead with 12:28 to play. In guiding the Texans to a 20-7 halftime lead, Osweiler posted a 110.0 rating and did not commit a turnover. The Texans will face New England or Kansas City in the divisional round next. (Editing by Andrew Both)