The Texans got the ball first and have an early 3-0 lead over the Raiders Monday night, but the Texans believe they should be up 7-0.
Early in the drive DeAndre Hopkins caught a pass from Brock Osweiler and turned along the sideline. Hopkins shook one defender and got free up the sideline, but he was ruled out of bounds at the Raiders’ 40-yard line for a gain of 26.
Replays shown on the ESPN broadcast made it appear that Hopkins stayed inbounds. The Texans tried to challenge, but it’s not a play that can be challenged because the play was whistled dead when one of the officials determined that Hopkins was out of bounds.
Maybe it was a quick whistle, or maybe the official had a bad angle, but without a comprehensive review from replay officials we’ll never know. The Texans stalled, as they’ve done often this season, and Nick Novak eventually kicked a 32-yard field goal.
As is, the drive covered 61 yards in 13 plays and 6:26.