How Raiders' Bright Spots Finally Flashed vs. Texans

The Las Vegas Raiders rolled up to Houston, Texas, to face the Texans in what many people thought was going to be a walk in the park for the Texans.

And you cannot blame them for that. The Raiders have been playing bad football all season. It has not been a good season for the Raiders, but the way they played on Sunday against the best defense in the NFL would have told you different. The Raiders gave them everything they could handle, and for a moment, Houston had a problem.

At the end, the Silver and Black came up short by a score of 23-21. It was a battle to the end and a game that had a lot of people on the edge of their seats. Even with the loss, the Raiders, for the first time in a long time, showed that they had a lot of fight in them and played a good game.

The Raiders could have just come into Houston and lay down and played football. They played this game hard and executed very well. It was a good sight to see, even when it is this late in the season.

mkm — Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) stands in the huddle with offensive tackle Stone Forsythe (70), running back Ashton Jeanty (2), wide receiver Jack Bech (18) and tight end Brock Bowers (89) during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Raiders Prove They Have Not Quit

Our Hondo Carpenter talked about the Raiders in Week 16 on a recent episode of the "Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast."

"Today, you saw Greg Olson's best game plan. The offense put up 21 points," said Carpenter. "Ashton Jeanty ran for over a hundred yards, and finally we started seeing some things, some plays, some schematics that we were telling you about. They put Jeanty out wide and scored a really nice touchdown on there. They had some different blocking protections today ... Geno [Smith] has one bad play."

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Jawhar Jordan (26) rushes against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

"23-21 against the best defense in the NFL. And listen, nobody is fooling anybody, you are the Raiders. Your motto is "Just Win Baby." It does not matter that it was against one of the best defenses, but clearly a step up from last week's performance. And I am going to say this right now, whether you love Pete or hate him, want him back, or do not want him back. Anybody with a football brain who wants to try to say these people quit. There is no quit, these guys are fighting for him [Carroll]."

"I asked him point blank, do you want to be back? And he said, he does."

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll walks on the sideline during pregame warmups against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

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