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3 Things To Watch As Raiders Face Texans in Preseason

The Las Vegas Raiders will face the Houston Texans next in their preseason schedule. What are the things they have to look out for?
Fernando Alfaro-Donis|
Klint Kubiak
Klint Kubiak | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

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Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders kicked off their 2026 NFL preseason with a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Preseason football is hit or miss when it comes to what it means for a team in their upcoming season, but their loss may truly be indicative of what the Raiders are in for next season.

Despite their loss, there were plenty of things to be excited about for the Raiders and their future. In Fernando Mendoza's debut, he looked polished and poised. Klint Kubiak passed the eye test with his offensive schemes. What are three things the Raiders must be thinking about as they prepare for their next preseason game against the Houston Texans?

Hungry Pass Catchers

The Texans' receiver room isn't particularly deep, especially with Tank Dell coming in and out of the lineup due to injury. That means that a lot of pass catchers are going to want the ball in their hands, so the Raiders' secondary has to be keyed in on errant passes.

I think they should specifically be focused on Marlin Klein and their other tight ends. Heavy tight end sets are increasingly becoming more common in the NFL, so this will be a good chance for them to see some of those looks and get adjusted before the regular season.

Competitive QB Battle

Texans fans will tell you Davis Mills is better than a backup quarterback, and he took the Texans' offense out of their slump last season when CJ Stroud got injured. We may get a Mendoza vs. Mills quarterback duel next week, one of the most competitive the Raiders will see in the preseason.

Mills has experience as a starter and running their offense, so if Mendoza's able to stand toe to toe with him, it'll be a good sign that he's ready to start sooner rather than later. Matched up against Mills will be another good test for their secondary, as he's going to want to air the ball out.

Coaching Battle

Klint Kubiak
Klint Kubiak | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Both of these teams are coming off double-digit losses in the preseason. Their head coaches are nearly ideological opposites, with Kubiak making a career off of his impressive offenses and DeMeco Ryans making his with hard-nosed defenses.

I don't expect them to pull out all the stops in this preseason contest, but I do think we will see this battle the most in the trenches. Mike Washington Jr. is coming off an impressive performance, and I bet the Texans will be keyed in on stopping the run. Kubiak's offenses succeed when the run game is in full effect. We'll see whether Kubiak can make his mark on the game or the more experienced head coach will put a stop to him.

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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.