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          NFL Nation

          Raiders rookie Connor Cook struggling in first NFL start

          • Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterJan 7, 2017, 06:10 PM ET
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              Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role - writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA's Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis' Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
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          HOUSTON -- Rookie Connor Cook, making history Saturday as the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to make his first career start in the postseason, struggled in the first half of the Oakland Raiders’ wild-card playoff game against the Houston Texans.

          The Texans led at halftime, 20-7.

          Cook was just 4-of-14 for 41 yards with an interception by Jadeveon Clowney on a ball the Texans defensive end tipped to himself on an attempted screen pass. Clowney also tipped an earlier pass at the line of scrimmage as Houston, which had the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL this season, built a 10-0 lead.

          Cook, selected by the Raiders in the fourth round last spring, is attempting to become the first Michigan State quarterback to win a playoff game since Earl Morrall did it for the Miami Dolphins in the 1972 AFC championship game, per Elias Sports Bureau.

          Last season, former Spartans signal-callers Kirk Cousins and Brian Hoyer started playoff games for Washington and the Texans, respectively, though both lost. The only other Michigan State quarterback to start an NFL playoff game is Jim Miller, who lost in the 2001 season for the Chicago Bears.