Kopfgelt » last ranked first in the country in October 2011

HOUSTON -- The easiest thing to do is to acknowledge the rising star power featured by the Oakland Raiders and acknowledge its role in landing atop the AFC West.There is no denying that quarterback Derek Carr, receiver Amari Cooper, and defensive end Khalil Mack are integral to the Raiders foundation. Oakland (7-2) emerges from its bye week on a three-game winning streak set to face the AFC South-leading Houston Texans (6-3) on Monday night in Mexico Citys Estadio Azteca.The Raiders recent collection of early-round draft picks have emerged ahead of schedule and have matched expectations relative to their individual talents. But the Raiders have become the talk of the NFL thanks in no small measure to their depth, and a number of their rotation players were serendipitous discoveries.The Raiders feature 19 undrafted players on their current roster and those players have combined to start 29 games this season.Behind Carr, Cooper (58 receptions for 843 yards and two touchdowns) and receiver Michael Crabtree (49 receptions for 596 yards and six touchdowns), Oakland ranks sixth in the NFL in passing offense at 278.3 yards per game. The Raiders are even better in pass protection, pacing the league with Carr operating behind an offense line showcasing undrafted tackles Donald Penn and Austin Howard.While Penn has started all nine games this season, Howard has made five starts at right tackle. Toss in undrafted rookie guard Denver Kirkland, who has made four starts as an extra lineman, and the Raiders have parlayed line stability into success.The number of (undrafted players) that made our team jumps out, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. For us, its been a process. Its not like all of a sudden we look up and were shocked by it because weve been working with these guys and developing these guys and theyve been giving great energy and effort every day.What is vital to the Raiders is maintaining the momentum theyve cultivated winning six of seven games. Their success has generated conversation throughout the league, and how the Raiders handle their lofty status atop the division will be revealed in how they perform against the Texans after their scheduled break.Weve just got to get back in the swing of things and keep our same focus, Raiders defensive tackle Dan Williams said. Right now, were in good position to achieve our first goal, which is to win the West. I think everybody has the same focus. Weve definitely matured from a year ago and I think were going to get back where we left off.Penn said, Things are coming together. I cant wait to see where its going to go.The Texans removed one monkey from their collective backs by winning on the road for the first time this season, outlasting the Jaguars in Jacksonville on Sunday.What should galvanize the Texans was the performance of their rushing offense against the Jaguars.Before the break, Houston posted just 105 rushing yards against Detroit, its third-lowest total this season. The Texans rebounded for a season-best 181 rushing yards in Jacksonville to offset another subpar effort from quarterback Brock Osweiler and provide hope for an uneven offense moving forward.I think its good, Texans coach Bill OBrien said of the running game. I think theres always things we can improve, but we ran for 180 last game and ran it pretty good against Detroit, so I think its been good.But every weeks different. This is a very, very stout defense. Theyve got big guys inside, good guys on the edge and fast, athletic guys on the inside at linebacker, so its going to be a different challenge.Mack has been a terror in the past four weeks, producing 18 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. In a 15-12 Raiders win over the Denver Broncos last season, Mack sacked Osweiler five times.Taking that exceptional individual performance into account, Osweiler and the Texans will have a keen eye on Mack.Its very important, Osweiler said. You know, any time you play against a player like Khalil Mack, you need to respect what he brings to the table and you need to have answers for what he brings to the table.Were very fortunate to have a phenomenal offensive coaching staff here, led by (offensive coordinator George) Godsey and Coach OBrien. Im sure theyll have answers for him. But without a question, we are well aware of what Khalil Macks capable of doing -- obviously I experienced it firsthand last year -- and we will have answers for him. Nmd Schuhe Günstig Kaufen . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Yeezy Schuhe Bestellen .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. http://www.yeezyschuhe.de/ultra-boost-schuhe.html . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Yeezy Boost 550 Deutschland . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Yeezy Replica Deutschland . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. Welcome back to another edition of the Insider cheat sheet, our weekly roundup of crucial fantasy basketball information taken from ESPNs group of NBA Insiders.Every Friday throughout the season, well provide a rundown of the most important bits of intel. Youll gain guidance from some of the biggest names in the game -- inncluding Amin Elhassan, Tom Haberstroh and Kevin Pelton -- to take your fantasy teams to the next level.ddddddddddddHeres what our experts are saying about the big questions for the week ahead: ' ' '