There are two games of NFL Preseason action across the Thursday Night slate. With the opening kickoff scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET, the Las Vegas Raiders will take on the Houston Texans.
This is the second preseason matchup for each of these teams, with both still searching for their first win. The Raiders are looking to bounce back from a 27-14 loss to the Cardinals, while the Texans fell 27-7 to the Chargers.
Looking at the odds for this preseason matchup, the Raiders enter as 1.5-point favorites with -120 Moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Texans are +100 to pull off the upset, with the game total set at 37.5 points.
Raiders at Texans prediction, pick
Las Vegas Raiders preview
This season marks the first for the Raiders under new head coach Klint Kubiak. Las Vegas rolled out most of the starters in the opening preseason matchup for the first look at the Kubiak era. Kirk Cousins attempted six passes, completing five for 50 yards and a touchdown before being removed from the game. Ashton Jeanty joined him in the backfield for three carries and 16 yards. First-overall pick Fernando Mendoza took the ball following the veteran quarterback and saw the most extensive opportunity under center. The Indiana product completed 10 of his 16 pass attempts for 97 yards and a touchdown. Mendoza added a pair of rushing attempts and had some promising flashes in his first taste of NFL action. Aiden O’Connell was the lone other quarterback to take snaps, completing four of his 13 attempts for 85 yards.
Kubiak has not committed to a gameplan at quarterback for this game to this point and has largely kept his cards close to the vest across the preseason. He has publicly stated that each of the quarterbacks deserves first-team opportunities, although time will tell how serious he is about this. Cousins has displayed a 14-year sample size of NFL experience, and at 38 years old, one would imagine he would be the first to see his opportunities decreased or eliminated in this preseason setting. These two teams practicing together this week will likely play into the calculations, but for the time being, the quarterback plan seems to be the same as Week 1. There is some belief that the starters could see extended snaps as Kubiak begins to scale up for the regular season, but his comments are worth monitoring.
Outside of the quarterback, there are still plenty of positional battles to be mindful of in this game. After allowing the most sacks and the lowest yards per carry in the NFL last season, the offensive line spot is still a work in progress for the Raiders. Expect several bodies to be rotated around again in this matchup as Las Vegas searches for stability across the collective unit. The defensive line and secondary are each also positions worth monitoring.
Houston Texans preview
The Houston Texans are entering the fourth season with DeMeco Ryans as head coach. There is more clarity on their game plan for this second preseason matchup, as Ryans told reporters he plans to rest most of the starters. The Texans’ first team has gotten snaps against the Raiders at practice, and the torn ACL by Jayden Higgins may have played a role in this decision. Starting quarterback C.J. Stroud did not take any snaps in the opening preseason matchup either. Ryans has not ruled out his taking a handful of snaps to get his feet wet, but Davis Mills and Graham Mertz took the entirety of the quarterback snaps in the preseason opener, with neither particularly shining.
This is a Texans roster that has built its foundation on the defensive side of the ball. Houston finished last season ranked second in opponents’ points allowed and gave up the fewest yards in football last season. They added safety Reed Blankenship and a few notable names at the linebacker and defensive line spots to further add to this.
There also is a key belief in first round rookie center Keylan Rutledge, who played just one drive in the preseason opener. Rookie tight end Marlin Klein also only played just one drive as well, but produced a 31-yard reception on a seam route which opened some eyes. It was not an inspiring performance from Houston, as the Chargers held control of the opening matchup from just about start to finish and the Texans were out-gained 379 to 209. While there is more talent on the Texans’ roster than has been fully put on display, the game plan seems to be to limit this type of showcase in the second preseason matchup as well.
Raiders at Texans best bet
My lean is toward the game total remaining under the 37.5 number in this matchup. Houston’s offensive attack looked lifeless in the opening preseason game, while the Raiders only put up 14 points of their own and were held scoreless in the second half.
But, I am backing the Raiders to pull off the outright win on the road in this preseason matchup. The quarterback battle in Las Vegas has raised the collective level of the roster as each field general will continue to do their best to showcase their abilities. Fernando Mendoza is especially worth noting, as the Heisman winner has not been handed the job despite being the top selection in the draft. Mendoza has looked the part of an NFL-quality quarterback and will be eager to build off this. Expect him to look like the best quarterback on the field for both sides (assuming Stroud is sidelined) and see some extended opportunities.
Every organization operates with a different level of seriousness when it comes to preseason. The Texans have qualified for the playoffs in three straight seasons, and have a clear feel for their identity moving forward. In contrast, the Raiders are still establishing this iteration of the organization under Kubiak. The first-time NFL head coach spent last season as the offensive coordinator for the Seahawks, and has spent time on the coaching staff of the Saints, 49ers and Broncos, as well as at the college level with Kansas and Texas A&M. With this being his first time serving as a head coach, expect a clearer effort to establish a baseline and for the preseason to mean a bit more for Las Vegas. Expect the Raiders to lean on their starters more heavily and for a more extended period of time to pave the way to the first preseason victory. Even while both sides are coming off a Week 1 preseason loss, Las Vegas looked far more competent. Expect this to carry over into the Week 2 preseason matchup.
