The Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans almost certainly won't find themselves in the playoffs this year, but that doesn't mean they don't have something to look forward to for next season. While both have struggled on their way to losing records, both may have also found their franchise quarterbacks of the future.
Raiders vs. Texans 2013 picks and predictions: Most experts agree that Case Keenum will get his first win
They may have losing records, but both teams have something to fight for on Sunday. Who are the experts picking to win?
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Going into the season, it looked like the Raiders would be starting Matt Flynn at quarterback, but he was eventually beaten out in a competition by Terrelle Pryor. While Flynn has since been released by two teams, Pryor has proven to be an electric runner and a work-in-progress as a passer. For a franchise that has shuffled through a lot of quarterbacks since the retirement of Rich Gannon, it's a light at the end of the tunnel that Oakland could desperately use.
For the Texans, they thought things were going to be fine with Matt Schaub, and a third straight division title seemed more than feasible. Instead, Schaub had a terrible start to the year, and the team eventually named undrafted free agent Case Keenum as the starter. Though Keenum has lost all three of his starts, his numbers, including seven touchdowns and no interceptions, give hope for the future.
Here at SB Nation, five of six panelists expect Keenum to get his first-career win. Keenum is averaging 8.1 yards per attempt, which is far greater than the 6.7 yards per attempt of Schaub. The pick is also lopsided at CBS Sports, where seven of eight experts are going with the Texans.
Both experts at Yahoo Sports, plus the fans, expect Houston to win, and nearly everyone at ESPN agrees.
It should be a close game, but it appears that most people expect Keenum and the Texans to best Pryor and the Raiders.
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