Raiders vs. Texans 2017 picks and predictions: Experts strongly lean toward Houston

The Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders meet up in the first game of Wild Card Weekend. Needless to say, this is not the spot the Raiders were hoping to end up in a few weeks ago.

Despite finishing 12-4, their best record since 2000, the Raiders limp into the playoffs with all sorts of question marks at quarterback. MVP candidate Derek Carr broke his leg in Week 16 and Matt McGloin got hurt in Week 17, forcing the Raiders to start rookie Connor Cook in their first playoff game since the 2002 season. That’s a horrible stroke of luck for a franchise that finally found success after being a punchline for over a decade.

Oakland will be taking on a team that also has questions at quarterback. The Texans bet on Brock Osweiler’s potential in the offseason, but his free agent contract turned into a disaster and he eventually got benched for Tom Savage. However, Savage went into the concussion protocol, so Bill O’Brien has no choice but to turn back to Osweiler, who finished the regular season dead last in yards per attempt among qualified QBs (5.8).

The Texans’ offense is nigh unwatchable, but the defense held up well despite missing J.J. Watt for most of the year. Jadeveon Clowney finally arrived as a difference-maker, racking up six sacks and making his first Pro Bowl appearance.

This is not the prettiest QB competition, but the Raiders’ situation is much worse than the Texans’ and that’s reflected in expert picks. Seven of eight writers at CBS Sports pick the Texans to win. Here at SB Nation, it’s a similar trend, with seven writers and the OddsShark computer picking Houston. Jeanna Thomas is the only one brave enough to go with the Raiders.