--Sebastian Janikowski was lamenting the one that got away, a would-be NFL record that struck the right upright halfway up the 30-foot post.
"It was going straight and the last 10 yards or so it turned a little bit," Janikowski said. "I thought it was going to hit the post and go in."
Facing fourth-and-nine with 1:15 to go in the half, the Raiders actually sent out the offense in an attempt to draw Houston offside. The Texans didn't fall for it, so Janikowski gave it a shot from 64.
Had the Raiders drawn Houston offside, Janikowski thinks the kick would have snuck inside the upright. Distance was not a problem.
"It would have been good from 70 easy," Janikowski said, later amending the figure to 74.
--Defensive end Jay Richardson reached up and blocked a 43-yard field-goal attempt by Kris Brown, the first block since Tommy Kelly spiked a potential game-winner by Cleveland in Week 3.
He got an assist from Terdell Sands, who collapsed the line and allowed Richardson penetration.
"He ran over two guys. He made it easy," Richardson said. "I just ran behind his big ass."
It was Richardson's first block since his junior year at Ohio State, when he blocked an attempt against Bowling Green.
"As soon as that ball goes, you take off, try to either run over the center or jump over him," Richardson said. "You kind of got a sense of timing in your head when you gotta get your hand up. Then you just reach as high as you can. I felt it, though. Definitely got that one."
--Cornerback Stanford Routt, who took the starting job from Fabian Washington and has three interceptions, was burned on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Sage Rosenfels to Andre Davis, a score that put the Texans up 24-10.
Routt, who normally plays on the left side, had moved to the right because Nnamdi Asomugha was injured. He stumbled just enough to let Davis past, with Rosenfels throwing a perfect pass for the score.
"I'll find out what happened on film," Routt said. "You win some, you lose some."
Routt said he studies his mistakes and doesn't bother with the successes.
"My interceptions, I don't even really look at those," Routt said. "I look at the ones I mess up on, figure out what I did, learn from them and get better."
PLAYER PERSONNEL NOTES
--CB Nnamdi Asomugha left in the second half with a knee injury and did not return. Lane Kiffin said the injury is not believed to be serious, but Asomugha's status is not known.
--RT Cornell Green lasted the entire game playing on a sore knee, pass blocked well and was not called for any penalties against Houston.
--WR Tim Dwight's 28-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was his first touchdown since the final game of the 2005 season as a member of the New England Patriots.
--WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, who had two catches for 14 yards, ran eight yards with a reverse on his first NFL rushing play.
--DT Gerard Warren's quadriceps injury has lingered longer than anyone expected (five games), but Kiffin said the club is not yet considering putting him on injured reserve.
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