Raiders Show Fight in Narrow Loss to Texans, but Costly Mistakes Prove Too Much to Overcome
The Las Vegas Raiders didn’t come away with a win in Week 16, but they walked off the field in Houston with more than just a moral victory. Facing a surging Texans team boasting the league’s top-ranked defense, the Silver and Black went toe-to-toe in a 23-21 thriller that showcased some promising young talent-and exposed a few lingering flaws.
In a season that’s seen its share of ups and downs, this one felt like a measuring stick. The Raiders proved they can hang with a playoff-caliber team on the road.
But as is often the case in the NFL, the difference between winning and losing came down to execution in the margins. Let’s break down the players and units who stood out-for better and worse.
Winners
Ashton Jeanty
Let’s start with the obvious.
Jeanty was electric. The rookie running back exploded for 188 total yards and two touchdowns, including a pair of 50-plus-yard scoring plays that left Houston’s vaunted defense grasping at air.
What stood out even more than the numbers? The physicality.
Jeanty forced 14 missed tackles on the day-against the NFL’s stingiest defense, no less. That’s the kind of performance that turns heads across the league and cements a young player as a foundational piece moving forward.
Patrick Graham and the Defense
Credit where it’s due-defensive coordinator Patrick Graham had his group ready.
The Raiders’ defense gave C.J. Stroud fits, holding Houston’s offense to just 16 points.
No takeaways, and the unit didn’t quite seal the deal in crunch time, but they delivered a gritty, disruptive performance that gave Las Vegas a real shot at the upset. In a game where field position and defensive stops mattered, Graham’s crew showed up.
Eric Stokes
Stokes drew a tough assignment against a deep Texans receiving corps, and he answered the bell.
Targeted five times, he allowed just one catch for seven yards. Add in a pass breakup and three solid tackles, and it’s clear Stokes locked down his side of the field.
That’s the kind of outing that builds trust between a corner and his coaching staff.
Losers
**Lonnie Johnson Jr. **
Johnson’s had some strong moments since returning from injury, but this wasn’t one of them. He got beat on a slant for a big gain, missed a key punch-out attempt on a long Nick Chubb run, and committed a costly 23-yard pass interference penalty.
When you’re facing an offense with Houston’s firepower, those kinds of miscues get magnified.
Stone Forsythe
The Texans’ defensive front made life miserable for Forsythe, who struggled to hold the edge in pass protection.
He gave up a sack, three hurries, and was physically overwhelmed on multiple reps-including one where he was literally thrown to the turf. With Kolton Miller still sidelined, the Raiders may need to take a hard look at Charles Grant as a potential replacement next week.
DJ Glaze
It wasn’t just Forsythe who had a rough day up front.
Glaze also found himself on the wrong end of several matchups, surrendering a sack and two hurries. That’s three pressures total, and it continues a troubling trend for the young tackle.
If he doesn’t steady the ship soon, the Raiders may have to rethink his role heading into the offseason.
Geno Smith
Now, to be fair, this was a step up from some of Smith’s recent outings.
He looked more composed and made a few solid throws. But the mistakes were still there-and they were costly.
A pick-six flipped the game’s momentum, and he took three sacks, including one where he inexplicably ran out of bounds for a big loss instead of throwing the ball away. Progress?
Yes. Good enough?
Not quite.
Jeremy Chinn
Chinn’s usually one of the more reliable pieces on this defense, but Week 16 wasn’t his best showing.
He finished near the team lead with seven tackles, but also missed two and allowed four completions on four targets. A few of those came on third down, extending Houston drives in critical moments.
For a player of Chinn’s caliber, that’s uncharacteristic.
Raiders’ Pass Rush (Outside of Maxx Crosby)
Maxx Crosby can’t do it all by himself-and that’s becoming painfully clear.
The rest of the Raiders' pass rush was virtually invisible in Houston. Zero sacks.
Just four quarterback hits. And this was against one of the league’s most vulnerable offensive lines.
That lack of pressure gave Stroud just enough time to make key throws down the stretch. If this team wants to take the next step, they need more juice off the edge.
Discipline
Penalties had been trending in the right direction for Las Vegas-just 10 flags in the previous three games combined.
But the Raiders reverted to bad habits in Houston, getting flagged nine times for 85 yards. And these weren’t harmless infractions.
Several came at pivotal moments, extending drives or stalling their own. In a two-point loss, that’s the kind of undisciplined play that stings the most.
Final Thoughts
There’s no such thing as a “good loss” in the NFL, but this one might come close. The Raiders went into a hostile environment and pushed one of the league’s hottest teams to the brink.
They saw breakout performances from young players like Jeanty and Stokes. They got a strong effort from the defense.
But they also saw familiar issues resurface-penalties, pass protection, and inconsistent quarterback play.
With two games left on the schedule, there’s still time to finish strong and build momentum into the offseason. But if the Raiders want to be more than just competitive next year, they’ll need to clean up the details. Because in a league where the margin for error is razor-thin, those details are the difference between heartbreak and victory.