Merry Christmas Eve, everyone. I hope everyone is having a joyful holiday and thanks for taking a moment out of it to do a little light reading. Luckily this week, there were some positive performances to celebrate. Even if ultimately it didn’t mean the Raiders came away victorious.

The Raiders hung in there with a tough Texans team all game long. A pick-six put them behind early, but they were able to tie it back up in the second quarter. They would bend but not break for a while on defense until the offense could mount another TD drive to take their only lead at 14-13. But the Texans managed to put on two more scoring drives, while giving up just one to the Raiders. And in the end, they were able to keep the ball away from the Raiders offense to hold on.

BallersRB Ashton Jeanty

Two of the Raiders three touchdowns were all Jeanty. And both were big time plays. His first touchdown went for a career-long 60 yards. He was wide open on the left side, caught the pass, broke a tackle and was gone for the score. That touchdown gave the Raiders their first and only lead in this game.

The Raiders would pull it back to within two points in the fourth quarter when Jeanty bounced off a wall of defenders and broke free up the left side to go 51 yards for the score. He finished with a career-high 188 yards from scrimmage and his 128 yards rushing was the second most of his career.

DE Maxx Crosby, DE Jonah Laulu

Crosby and Laulu both had run stuffs on the Texans’ first drive. Their third possession, Laulu had a tackle for loss, and then he and Maxx both got pressures on a short completion for a three-and-out.

After the Raiders took the lead 14-13 in the third quarter, Crosby had a pressure leading to a tackle for loss and then a run stuff for a loss, leading to the Texans losing yards on every play of a three-and-out. Yet another tackle for loss by Maxx set up third-and-eight, but a long completion allowed the Texans to close out the game.

S Isaiah Pola-Mao

He had the first tackle of the game for the Raiders, laying a pop on the punt returner to stop him at the 24. Early in the second quarter, he ended a Texans’ drive when he got pressure to force and incompletion and limit the damage to a field goal. And his deep coverage kept the Texans from scoring again just before the half.

A run stuff in the third quarter kept the Texans from converting on third and one to force a field goal. And a tackle on a short catch gave the Raiders one of three chances to get the ball back at the end of the game. None of those chances could work out.

LB Elandon Roberts

His pass breakup would help hold the Texans to a field goal late in the second quarter. He would also have a run stuff on every Texans’ possession of the second half, one for a loss, and tackle on a short catch.

CB Eric Stokes

Stokes had stops on the second and third possessions for the Texans, both leading to three-and-outs. His pass breakup on third and eight would end the Texans’ first possession of the third quarter.