OK. Let's talk about the tail end of that Texans-Raiders game. The Raiders tied the game 20-20 with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Jamize Olawale with just south of 11 minutes left to play. I'd say, "And that's where things started to get weird," but the truth is things had already gotten pretty weird earlier in the game, what with all the missed calls and whatnot.
Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller started marching the Texans down the field. A 5-yard run, a 14-yard pass, a 4-yard run, a 9-yard pass, a 5-yard run, a 3-yard run, and all of a sudden it was third-and-2 on the Oakland 19-yard line. Lamar Miller ran up the middle and appeared to get a first down but the officials spotted him short of the line.
Everyone on Twitter wanted Bill O'Brien to challenge the spot. But O'Brien did not challenge the spot. Instead he ran up the middle on fourth down, this time with Akeem Hunt. He also appeared to get the first down, but the refs again marked him short. O'Brien challenged the spot of the ball this time.
The Texans challenged the wrong play. That overhead shot's not going to be enough to overturn it.
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurke_SI) November 22, 2016
NOW you challenge?
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) November 22, 2016
Even though it clearly appeared that Hunt had gotten a first down, the call was not overturned.
— Paul Em Dee (@RocketIntellect) November 22, 2016
Huh? pic.twitter.com/PJeVX6VHGo
— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) November 22, 2016
Wow. Texans got the first down twice. And didn't get the first down
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) November 22, 2016
These refs are horrendous
— Taylor Armosino (@tarmosino) November 22, 2016
Refs spotting balls tonight pic.twitter.com/fC1e9gNomC
— Stephanie Stradley (@StephStradley) November 22, 2016
The Raiders easily marched the ball down the field on the ensuing drive, which culminated in a 35-yard touchdown for Amari Cooper.
Carr. Cooper.
— NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2016
35-yard @Raiders TOUCHDOWN! #HOUvsOAK#MiPartidoMiNFLhttps://t.co/H9CcC2kGCD
The Texans still had another chance to tie the game. Osweiler picked up a first down with passes to C.J. Fiedorowicz and then DeAndre Hopkins. Then Lamar Miller ran for 5 yards on first down. Osweiler was sacked on second down. And then he completed a 4-yard pass on third down. (This ball was spotted about a yard behind where the receiver went down.) On fourth-and-5 from the 44-yard line, trailing 27-20 with 3:02 remaining, O'Brien ... punted?
Yeah, it was weird.
That punt said a lot about O'Brien's faith in Brock.
— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) November 22, 2016
You just bypassed a go ahead FG, but decide to punt there with one timeout left? What a joke.
— Scott Kacsmar (@FO_ScottKacsmar) November 22, 2016
One could call that punt a curious decision.
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) November 22, 2016
don't punt don't punt don't punt don't punt don't punt don't punt don't punt don't punt don't punt don't punt don't punt
— Person (@AndyGlockner) November 22, 2016
The Raiders subsequently picked up two first downs, ran out the clock and won the game. The Texans did not appear to get a particularly fair shake from the refs throughout, having come out on the unlucky side of several calls, almost all of them on the same near sideline.
I feel for you, Texans fans.
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) November 22, 2016
Texans have been comprehensively jobbed in this game. Outrageous.
— Marc Sessler (@MarcSesslerNFL) November 22, 2016
The loss dropped Houston to 6-4, still first place in the AFC South, but they could have (incredibly) jumped up to the No. 2 seed in the AFC with a win, and might have just done it had so many calls not gone against them.