Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Read about Saturday’s two playoff matchups.
Raiders, Texans not looking to rely on QBs to carry load
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league, but these teams will be trying to downplay the position as much as possible.
The Raiders are down to their third option, rookie Connor Cook, after losing starter Derek Carr to a broken leg and backup Matt McGloin to a shoulder injury.
The Texans, meanwhile, benched bigmoney acquisition Brock Osweiler (15 touchdowns, 16 interceptions) in favor of Tom Savage, who was sidelined by a concussion in Sunday’s regular-season finale.
Osweiler played well in his place and reclaimed the starting job this week.
The saving grace for both teams is they can run the ball and have strong defenses. That will help them cover deficiencies in the passing game.
Still, in a postseason field that includes Super Bowl winners Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, the life expectancy of a QB-less team is pretty short.
“The quarterbacks are going to give us what they have and do the best they can, and we’ve got to play well around them,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. “We can’t expect them to come in and put us on their shoulders. We need them to just do their job, and that’s what we’ll expect them to do this week.” Cling to the bling: The Texans finished with the No. 2 pass defense behind the Broncos, who played the Raiders in their finale. Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib didn’t take kindly to the glittering necklace Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree had been wearing all season; in fact, Talib ripped it off Crabtree’s neck during the game.
“I said if he wears that chain in front of me, I’m going to snatch it off,” Talib told reporters afterward. “He wore it in front of me, so I had to snatch it off.”
Talib said Crabtree “started crying to the ref” but “didn’t say nothing to me.”
Crabtree told reporters he showed restraint in not going after Talib.
“I can’t react or they’re going to kick me out,” he said. “Then I’m the bad guy.”
It remains to be seen whether Crabtree will replace the chain for the playoff game — or what Texans defenders would think of it if he did. Man in the middle: Vince Wilfork’s career could come full circle in the next two weeks. The Texans nose tackle, the centerpiece of the NFL’s No. 1 defense, is considering retirement.
If the Texans beat the Raiders, they likely would play a divisional game at New England. The Patriots drafted Wilfork in the first round in 2004, and he was a fixture for them for a decade.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about,” Wilfork, 35, said of retirement. “It’s a possibility. I still love this game. One of the hardest pills to swallow is when you leave something you love.” Sam Farmer’s pick: Not only will Cook be making his first career start, but he’ll be doing it on the road in the playoffs against the league’s top-ranked defense and a team that’s 7-1 at home. That’s an awfully tall order. The Raiders also will be without left tackle Donald Penn, who injured his left knee in the regular-season finale against the Broncos. If the Texans play conservatively and Osweiler avoids turnovers, they should be able to win. Texans 24, Raiders 20.