The Raiders’ second preseason game against the Houston Texans should tell Klint Kubiak plenty about where this team stands.
Las Vegas got useful answers out of Week 1, but Thursday night brings a different kind of evaluation. The Texans are expected to play their starters for at least one series, and that gives the Raiders a real measuring stick - especially up front.
That offensive line has been one of the biggest areas of investment for Las Vegas this offseason, with the group headlined by the signing of former Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum. Now it gets its toughest early test.
Houston can roll out Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson, a pass-rushing duo that ranks among the league’s best, and that should expose how far the Raiders’ line has come after being putrid in 2025. Even if the sample is small, this is the kind of matchup that reveals whether the unit can hold up against elite pressure.
Thursday also gives the Raiders another look at the No. 1 overall pick after a promising showing against the Arizona Cardinals. The rookie quarterback showed plenty of positives in that first preseason outing, and now the challenge is to carry those lessons into a different setting. He played four series against Arizona, and there’s a good chance he gets plenty of snaps again versus Houston.
The key isn’t perfection. If Mendoza has some rough patches, that alone won’t mean much. What matters is whether he repeats the good stuff from last week, cuts down on the mistakes and keeps showing he understands what the offense is asking of him.
Kubiak’s system already has a proven blueprint. The Seattle Seahawks ran one of the league’s best offenses on the way to the Lombardi Trophy last season. But Las Vegas is working with a very different roster, and that matters.
There are some familiar pieces. The Seahawks leaned heavily on Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Kenneth Walker III, while the Raiders are expected to build around Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty on offense.
Even so, there are still plenty of unanswered questions. The offensive line is still a work in progress, the wide receivers remain an unknown, and Kirk Cousins will be 38 years old tomorrow.
So when the Raiders line up against Houston, the starting offense should offer a clearer picture of just how much this group can handle right now.
In Other News...
Raiders Joint Practice Just Took A Brutal Turn Texans Fans Feared
Joint practices are supposed to sharpen a team before the real games begin, but the Texans and Raiders ended up getting a reminder of how quickly the tone can change. Houston wide receiver Jayden Higgins, coming off a promising rookie season in 2025 with 41 catches, 525 yards and six touchdowns, was hurt during the session in Las Vegas, turning what should have been a routine preseason workday into a far more serious concern for the Texans.
Medical evaluations later confirmed the extent of the damage, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, and Houston now has to plan without one of its young receiving threats for the long haul. For the Raiders, the practice itself becomes part of an unfortunate footnote, while the larger concern is the kind of injury news that can alter a season before it even starts. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Early Test Vs Texans Exposed One Week 1 Concern
The Raiders have been using joint practices and preseason reps as part of their rebuild, and the recent work against the Texans offered a useful checkpoint on where the roster stands. Las Vegas has shown more structure than it did a year ago, and coach Kevin Kubiak has been able to point to real progress, but these sessions also serve their other purpose: exposing the rough edges before the games start counting.
One of the clearest areas to watch is up front, where the offense is still looking for more consistency as the regular season approaches. The Texans were able to make life difficult in those matchups, and the Raiders are still sorting through how to handle that kind of pressure while continuing to develop the new pieces around the quarterback situation. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Suddenly Have A Real Week 2 Opening Against The Chargers
The Chargers were already trying to sort out their offensive line after a rough stretch of camp, and the latest setback only adds more uncertainty heading into their Week 2 meeting with the Raiders. Newly signed center Tyler Biadasz went down with a serious knee injury during a joint practice, and with Rashawn Slater also missing recent work, Los Angeles suddenly looks far less settled up front than it did a few days ago.
For Las Vegas, that changes the feel of a divisional game that could have looked much tougher on paper. The Raiders still have to prepare for a Chargers offense with plenty of talent, but the line issues now give them a real opening to attack and force Los Angeles into uncomfortable choices before Sunday arrives. [Read more 🡒]