At this point, the Raiders have to be feeling like this might be their year to do something special. The Texans, well, they\u2019re probably dealing with a different set of emotions after their 27\u201320 loss in Mexico City on Monday night\u2014rage, frustration, maybe even a little bit of self-loathing.<\/span><\/p>\n We always must save time for officiating controversies nowadays, but let\u2019s put a pin in that topic for a moment. First, let\u2019s focus on the Raiders. Trailing 20\u201313 in the fourth quarter, they, as has been the case much of the season, asked the offense to bail them out.<\/span><\/p>\n Oakland knotted the game with a well-designed pass play to fullback Jamize Olawale, of all people. Olawale was open deep because several Houston defenders got caught with their eyes in the backfield, where star receiver Amari Cooper had lined up as a running back before releasing into the flat. When the entire Houston linebacking corps took a step toward Cooper, Oakland QB Derek Carr floated one downfield to Olawale, who made the catch and raced to paydirt.<\/span><\/p>\n Later, with the game now deadlocked at 20, the Raiders broke off a five-play, 85-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a brilliant catch-and-run TD from Cooper.<\/span><\/p>\n Three clock-killing first downs from that Oakland offense sealed the result late, bumping the Raiders\u2019 record to a surprising 8\u20132, good for sole possession of first place in the very competitive AFC West. Six of Oakland\u2019s wins have been by seven points or fewer, including a dramatic Week 1 victory at New Orleans and a Week 8 OT triumph at Tampa Bay.<\/span><\/p>\n This team, and especially this offense, has responded repeatedly when backed into a corner. As such, the Raiders will head into the final week of November\u2014and, in all likelihood, into a season-defining stretch from Weeks 14-17 that features road trips to all three AFC West rivals\u2014in control of their divisional destiny.<\/span><\/p>\n So, that\u2019s the feel-good portion of the plot: The Raiders rallying in front of 100,000-plus fans at Azteca Stadium, during the NFL\u2019s first Monday night game played outside of U.S. soil.<\/span><\/p>\n The rest of the story involves another head-scratching sequence of events from the league\u2019s officials.<\/span><\/p>\n The Texans\u2019 list of complaints with the refs began right away, on their opening drive Monday night. On a 3rd-and-7 from his own 40, Houston QB Brock Osweiler found DeAndre Hopkins streaking right to left across the field. Hopkins caught Osweiler\u2019s pass and turned up upfield toward the end zone, only to be ruled out of bounds at the 36. Replays were inconclusive, at best\u2014Hopkins\u2019s heel appeared to be hovering over the out-of-bounds line, but did it ever touch? The Texans wound up settling for a field goal on the drive.<\/span><\/p>\n The more confounding issue came deep into the fourth quarter, just before what would be the game-winning score from Cooper. Houston appeared on first glance to have picked up a first down on back-to-back snaps inside Oakland\u2019s red zone, only to be marked short each time, resulting in a turnover on downs. Texans coach Bill O\u2019Brien challenged the second instance, after RB Akeem Hunt seemed to clear the yardage necessary to move the sticks. (Lamar Miller\u2019s third-down run off the left side was more of a missed spot, if there was one.)<\/span><\/p>\n The challenge was denied, and by the time Houston got the ball back it trailed by a TD.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWent for it, thought we had it, looked like it was clear that we had it, so I challenged it and they said we didn\u2019t have it,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201d[The ref] said, \u2018The call on the field stands,\u2019 so I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Adding even further to the Texans\u2019 angst was the constant presence of laser pointers shining down on Osweiler and others by some in the stands, a typical Estadio Azteca nuisance for visiting soccer players but outside the norms of what NFL teams usually have to deal with. O\u2019Brien had no comment on that matter.<\/span><\/p>\n Source:\u00a0http:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/2016\/11\/22\/raiders-texans-monday-night-football-derek-carr-mexico-city-officiating<\/span><\/p>\n