JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Houston Texans are right back where they were a year ago after two games. Now they need to figure out how to avoid the collapse that led to 14 straight losses to end last season.
J.J. Watt caught a 1-yard touchdown pass, Arian Foster ran for 138 yards and a score and the Texans won their second straight game to open the season, beating the Oakland Raiders 30-14 on Sunday.
“We’re very fortunate and happy to be 2-0, but we’ve got to keep getting better,” quarterback Fitzpatrick said. “I’ve got to get better. They’ve got to get better and hopefully keep heading down that path.”
The Texans (2-0) followed up last week’s home win over Washington with a convincing win on the road against the hapless Raiders (0-2) to mark the fifth straight year they won their first two games.
First-year coach Bill O’Brien is pleased with the start but knows there’s much more work to do.
“We can play better but I felt like we did the things necessary to win,” he said. “We’re playing well as a team and our defense is creating turnovers and our offense is playing smart. But we need to keep improving.”
The Raiders showed few signs of improvement from a season-opening 19-14 loss to the New York Jets. They trailed 27-0 after three quarters, committed four turnovers and allowed Foster to run free all afternoon.
“Collectively we look bad,” safety Charles Woodson said. “It’s frustrating because everything that other people say about you, we’re making them right. It’s almost like you allow other people to write your story and we’re not going out there and doing anything about it. That’s hard man. I’m really embarrassed.”
Here are some other takeaways from the game:
WHERE’S WATT?: Watt failed to record a tackle for just the third time in his career but still made his impact felt. He forced an interception with a hit on Derek Carr in the fourth quarter and got the scoring started when he caught a TD pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to cap the first drive. That was his first catch since he was a tight end at Central Michigan in 2007. Watt was left wide open in the end zone when two Raiders linebackers guarded Foster in the flat.
“It just took the ball so long,” Watt said. “It was pretty neat. It was a cool experience. Feel like a little kid.”
BLOOPER REEL: The day for the Raiders was summed up in the second quarter when Johnathan Joseph stripped James Jones twice on the same slapstick play. Jones caught a 20-yard pass from Carr late in the first half before getting stripped by Joseph at the Houston 35. Jones picked the ball up and ran toward the end zone, but Joseph knocked the ball out again from behind and D.J. Swearinger recovered at the Texans 3.
FAST FOSTER: Foster has back-to-back 100-yard rushing games to open the season after missing the final eight games a year ago because of back surgery. He has 55 carries for 241 yards this season as O’Brien is riding him hard.
“He kind of knows what kind of running back I am and what I want to be and what kind of running team we’ve been here in the past,” Foster said. “He said he wants to continue that mode of running the football and playing good defense, and that’s the kind of team we’ll be.”
CARR TROUBLE: Carr completed 27 of 42 passes for 263 yards and a late touchdown, and also rushed for 58 yards in his second career start. But he also threw a crucial interception in the second quarter to thwart a scoring opportunity.
“I think I can do a better job of not turning the ball over obviously,” Carr said. “That’s not good for anybody, but I’ll get those things fixed.
HAPPY WITH HOPKINS: DeAndre Hopkins caught three passes for 22 yards, including a nifty 12-yard touchdown in the third quarter on a well-placed, back-shoulder throw by Fitzpatrick. Hopkins has two TD catches in two weeks, matching his total from last season.
“With DeAndre, you get it in his vicinity, he’s going to catch the ball,” Fitzpatrick said. “He’s got those huge hands. Did a great job bringing it down, getting two feet in. I threw that ball with a lot of confidence, knowing he was going to come down with it.”
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