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3 Things I Learned From Raiders Preseason Thriller

The Las Vegas Raiders won an exciting preseason game against the Houston Texans. What are some of my biggest takeaways?
Fernando Alfaro-Donis|
Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Klint Kubiak
Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Klint Kubiak | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

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Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders led an exciting comeback win against the Houston Texans in their second preseason game, highlighted by their fight back from a 17-point deficit in the first quarter.

This is the Raiders' first preseason win of the season, so there's a lot to be excited about. This team showed that it wasn't gonna quit even on the road in a preseason game, which bodes well for how prepared Klint Kubiak has this team for the regular season. What are three of my biggest observations from the game?

Mendoza's Struggles

Fernando Mendoza had his "Welcome to the NFL" moment after he threw an interception to fellow rookie Wade Woodaz, who returned it for an 80-yard pick-six. He completed 8 of his 15 passes for 86 yards, threw the interception mentioned above, and took a sack for a loss of 11 yards.

The Texans consistently generated pressure and got him antsy in the pocket, a stark contrast to his performance against the Arizona Cardinals. Another interesting note is that the interception happened once Mendoza's first option was taken away. Something to note as Mendoza's development continues: he'll have to get better at working under pressure at the NFL level.

AOC Rises

Aidan O'Connell, take a bow. I was critical of him because of his performance against the Cardinals and because I believed this was the perfect time for him to build up his trade stock. His only future in the Silver and Black is as a backup, with Kirk Cousins being the starter until Mendoza is ready to take the reins.

He showed up and showed out, leading the Raiders to this improbable victory once they were already down big. It is only the preseason, so it does come with an asterisk. However, the fact that he was attempting these gutsy throws downfield should inspire confidence in teams looking for a quarterback.

Breakout RB

It's clearer now than ever that the Raiders will not be able to keep Mike Washington Jr. off the field. He had another explosive run in the preseason, this time going for 33 yards. This may be an overreaction, but I think this backfield will be entirely split by midseason.

Washington Jr. is simply too fast and too strong not to use him behind their improved offensive line. Jeanty will still be the starting running back for this team, but at the goal line, I don't know who Kubiak will favor more.

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Fernando Alfaro-Donis
FERNANDO ALFARO-DONIS

Fernando Alfaro-Donis found his passion for sports playing high school football, which led him to pursue journalism as an English major at UCLA. He also covers the UCLA Bruins and the Los Angeles Rams as an On SI team reporter.