Texans vs. Raiders 2016 final score: Oakland outlasts Houston in Mexico City

The Oakland Raiders came out on top by a final score of 27-20 in the NFL’s showcase on Monday Night Football in Mexico City against the Houston Texans.

The game started with some controversy, after the officials appeared to miss a call on a DeAndre Hopkins reception on just the sixth play of the game.

Brock Osweiler hit Hopkins with a pass, then Hopkins evaded Raiders defenders and inched down the sideline. While it appeared that he stayed in bounds, the officials ruled him out after a 24-yard gain, as opposed to a 60-yard touchdown.

The Texans’ drive would last 13 plays and end in a field goal.

After punts from the Raiders and the Texans, Oakland was able to march 79 yards down the field, as Derek Carr hit Jalen Richard for a 17-yard touchdown. The Raiders led the Texans 7-3 early in the second quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Texans had a costly mistake when Tyler Ervin let the ball bounce off of his face, and the Raiders recovered at the Houston 19-yard line for excellent field position.

Fortunately for Houston, the Raiders weren’t able to do maximum damage on the mistake and had to settle for a field goal after five plays. It was a 10-3 game with just under 13 minutes in the second quarter.

Despite their blunders, the Texans remained confident. Osweiler and Lamar Miller led the Texans down the field. It appeared that Miller had a 34-yard touchdown, but he had stepped out before scoring, and the touchdown was overturned.

After a loss of six yards by Osweiler and a false start penalty, it looked as though the Texans might be blowing a perfect opportunity, but Osweiler was able to hit Braxton Miller for a touchdown to tie the game at 10.

The first half didn’t go without some more controversy, though.

Someone in Azteca Stadium was flashing a green laser while the Texans were on offense. The laser was on Osweiler’s eyes as he was surveying the field.

The half ended with the teams tied at 10 and the stadium security looking for the fan with the laser.

The second half started off terribly for the Raiders, as Carr threw an interception on his first pass intended for Amari Cooper.

The Texans were quick to capitalize with another 13-play drive led by Osweiler and Miller. Miller punched it in from a yard out to give the Texans a 17-10 lead halfway through the third quarter.

Both teams were able to get field goals between the next touchdown, which was a big one: Carr found his fullback, Jamize Olawale, for a 75-yard touchdown on a play that had Cooper in the backfield at running back.

That put the game at 20-20 and set us up for a great game for the final 10 minutes and change of the fourth quarter.

The next drive by the Texans had some more questionable officiating. A Lamar Miller third-down run was ruled short, and after going for it on fourth-and-1, the Texans were again ruled short.

The replay appeared to show Texans running back Akeem Hunt getting the first down before his knee was down, but the officials upheld their initial ruling.

The turnover on downs seemed to suck the life out of the Texans and set the Raiders up on their own 23-yard line with just over six minutes to go in the game.

It took the Raiders just five plays to get in the end zone, as Carr and Cooper connected for a 35-yard touchdown, putting the Raiders up 27-20 with just under five minutes to go.

After a Texans punt with three minutes to go, the Raiders were able to run out the clock and secure the 27-20 win.

The Texans fall to 6-4 on the season with the loss but remain atop the AFC South, with the Colts and Titans not far behind.

The win put the Raiders at 8-2, tied with the Patriots for the best record in the AFC. It’s their best start since 2001. It was also Derek Carr’s eighth game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime since 2015 — good for second-most in the NFL, behind Matthew Stafford.

It wasn’t pretty, but it was a well-earned win by Jack Del Rio’s team.