Raiders at Texans inactives: Mario Edwards active, Donald Penn out

The Houston Texans will host the Oakland Raiders in the 2016 AFC Wild Card Round. Here are the inactive players for this AFC playoff game.

It’s playoff time in the NFL. The first of 11 NFL playoff games this year will be between the No. 5 Oakland Raiders and the No. 4 Houston Texans in the 2016 AFC Wild Card Round. Houston won the AFC South at 9-7 to earn the No. 4 seed. Oakland finished with the best record of a non-division lead in the AFC at 12-4 to get the No. 5 seed.

Let’s take a look at the inactive players for this crucial AFC Wild Card game between the Raiders and Texans in Houston on Saturday afternoon.

The two notable inactives for the Raiders are quarterback Derek Carr and offensive tackle Donald Penn. Carr broke his leg in Week 16 against the Indianapolis Colts, so his absence is no surprise. Penn’s absence is massive. He hasn’t missed a game in his NFL career but will be sidelined with a knee injury.

Oakland plans to start No. 3 quarterback rookie Connor Cook on Sunday, with Matt McGloin not at 100 percent himself as this backup. The emergency third-stringer for the Raiders is none other than starting wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

The other thing to know about the Raiders’ roster for this game is that defensive end Mario Edwards is active despite battling an illness.

The big inactive for the Texans is quarterback Tom Savage, who was in concussion protocol after getting roughed up a bit in Week 17’s road loss to the rival Tennessee Titans. That means Brock Osweiler will be getting the start for the Texans’ home playoff game.

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Should Osweiler continue to struggle at quarterback for Houston and get benched once again, look for veteran signal caller Brandon Weeden to back him up. Weeden himself is a failed starter but is familiar with head coach Bill O’Brien’s offense after joining the Texans midway through the 2015 NFL season.