Houston Texans vs. Oakland Raiders: Live Scores and Analysis for Oakland

After a disappointing start to the season, the Oakland Raiders are looking to earn their first victory of 2014 this Sunday when they host the Houston Texans. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET.

The Raiders were dominated in every facet of the game against the Jets, and they were unable to get anything going on either side of the ball.

The defense was bullied, and the offense was dictated to by the Jets' defense. Yet even though Oakland underperformed, the game was close throughout. And the team found itself with a chance to win in the final minutes of the game.

With how ineffective the team played in Week 1, there's nowhere to go but up in Week 2. The responsibility for this will fall on both the players and the coaches.

The coaches are going to have to create more opportunities for the players to make plays.

Defensive coordinator Jason Tarver has to take a more aggressive approach in order to create more pressure on the quarterback. The variety and consistency of the blitzes used will be a barometer for the success of the defense.

On the other side of the ball, offensive coordinator Greg Olson has to let Derek Carr loose.

As a rookie, he'll still be protected somewhat, but he also needs to have the opportunities to make more plays. Play-calling like we saw in Week 1 is going to make it nearly impossible for the offense to succeed and for the Raiders to win games. Carr needs to be given a chance to succeed.

It'll also be interesting to see how the running backs bounce back after an embarrassingly bad performance last week. Maurice Jones-Drew is out, which means the responsibility will fall on Darren McFadden and Latavius Murray. They should get more touches this week. Their success will go a long way in making the offense effective overall. 

Keep it here throughout the game for live scores, injury updates, opinion, commentary and more. And don't f...

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