Pierce, RBs dominate work vs. Raiders

It wasn't surprising to see Texans RB Dameon Pierce log 20 carries in Sunday's loss to the Raiders. Pierce's 92 rushing yards marked his 3rd straight game of 90+ and 4th straight of 80 yards or more. He has also collected 20+ rushing attempts in 3 of the past 4 contests. Pierce also caught all 4 of his targets for 25 yards, and that was only good enough for 3rd among Houston RBs in receiving. Dare Ogunbowale led all Texans with 7 looks, catching 5 for 54 yards. Rex Burkhead checked in next with a 5-11 receiving line on 6 targets. WR Brandin Cooks slotted between Burkhead and Pierce, going 4-46 receiving on 5 targets. The RBs combined for 41.5% of Houston's targets in the game. Throw in 3 combined carries for Burkhead (2) and Ogunbowale (1), and the RBs controlled 62.5% of the team's total opportunities (carries + targets). That's well above what's been the norm for Houston -- especially Ogunbowale's involvement. He had played just 1 offensive snap through the 1st 5 games. Don't read too much into that change, though. All 7 of Ogunbowale's targets came on the team's final possession, which started with just 3:26 left and Houston trailing by 18.