Refs job Texans in Mexico, Raiders escape with win: Final score, things to know

[yuiyoshida]

The Raiders are now in sole possession of first place in the AFC West after a controversial 27-20 win over the Texans

In Mexico City on Monday night, the Raiders had a chance to gain separation from the rest of the AFC West. The Texans had a chance to take a two-game lead in the AFC South. The Raiders capitalized on the chance, handing the Texans a 27-20 loss and moving to 8-2 on the season while the Texans dropped to 6-4.
Without some help from the officials, though, the Raider win probably would've never materialized.

The officiating woes date back to the first quarter. On the opening drive of the game, Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler hit DeAndre Hopkins for a 24-yard gain to the Raiders' 36-yard line. It should've been a touchdown.

As Hopkins sprinted down the sideline into open space -- there was nobody to stop him short of the end zone -- an official blew his whistle to stop the play, signaling that Hopkins stepped out of bounds.

A review couldn't fix the mistake, because the play wasn't reviewable. And that's the main takeaway from the first blunder: The officials should've let the play unfold so that an automatic review after a scoring play would've determined if Hopkins did or did not step out. As a result of the error, the Texans' opening drive resulted in three points, not seven.

And then there's what happened in the fourth quarter. With the score knotted up at 20-20, the Texans drove down the field. On third-and-2 from the Raiders' 16-yard line, the Texans handed the ball to Lamar Miller, who was pushed out of play at the first-down marker. To everyone with a pair of eyeballs, Miller certainly appeared to pick up the necessary yardage to move the sticks. But after a measurement, the officials deemed Miller a few inches short of the line to gain.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/refs-job-texans-in-mexico-raiders-escape-with-win-final-score-things-to-know/