Areas Raiders Must Improve Were Displayed Against Texans

After a week in Texas, the Las Vegas Raiders found out a lot about themselves. Most notably, Las Vegas quickly identified areas that still need improvement ahead of the regular season.

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) hands off to Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. (30) during the game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The changes the Las Vegas Raiders made throughout the offseason have already confirmed that they have improved from the 4-13 team that last took the field in January. It may be easy to forget about the 2025 season, but those Raiders are the main competition for Klint Kubiak and the 2026 Raiders.

Under Kubiak, Las Vegas' practices have been productive, but not without struggles. Yet, those struggles were only proof that the work the Raiders have put in on the field is legitimate and that the coaching staff and roster changes have already led to a quality change early in Las Vegas' rebuild.

Just as the Raiders' training camp practices have exposed the areas that still need work, their two preseason games have further highlighted them. Nearly all of the issues the Raiders showed in their two preseason games still need work and have been apparent in practice.

Even with the starters on the sideline, Las Vegas' comeback win against the Texans was a microcosm of the good, the bad, and the ugly that the Raiders have displayed in training camp. They have one more preseason game to help iron out those issues ahead of Week 1. Luckily, those issues are fixable.

Raiders' Areas of Focus Are Clear

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak before the game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Part of fixing any problem is identifying it. The Raiders have several that have shown up in two preseason games. With only one more preseason game left, Las Vegas must work harder to eliminate the issues that helped lead to a 20-3 halftime deficit against Houston.

Below are just a few of the things Las Vegas will focus on moving forward.

Penalties

Last week against the Arizona Cardinals, the Raiders committed eight penalties for 75 yards. Against the Texans, they committed nine penalties for 83 yards. In both games, those penalties extended drives for the opposing offenses or set Las Vegas' offense behind.

The Raiders will have enough to overcome this season, as they have one of the toughest strength-of-schedule of any team in the league. Kubiak knows they cannot afford to add to their uphill battle by beating themselves with avoidable penalties. Clean football will be essential moving forward.

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tackle Dalton Wagner (78) on the sideline during the game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Holding guys accountable, working, drilling things that we didn't do as well. For instance, a back block on Roman Hemby, educating guys better on the rules. We got D-Cam [Decamerion Richardson], made a costly error running out of bounds. I know that's things that we coach them on every day, but we do have a lot of young guys that you can't take anything for granted,” Kubiak said following the Raiders’ win.

“So, we put it on ourselves as coaches number one, with how we educate them, what we're practicing, what we're drilling, and it's on us, as coaches, to get it fixed. I don't know if I've seen that many special teams penalties in a game, and you look at the guys that are committing these penalties, and these are some younger guys, and it's not acceptable." 

All penalties are costly, but the ones Las Vegas racked up in their first two preseason games were especially costly. Giving up nearly a full football field in penalty yards per game is far from ideal for Kubiak and the rebuilding Raiders.

"We have to get it fixed defensively. We get a stop on third down, we taunt a guy and let them stay on the field. Unacceptable. One was a face mask defensively. It's two weeks in a row that, as a coaching staff, we've got substitution penalties. Unacceptable," Kubiak said.

Tackling

The Raiders' defense struggled to tackle against the Cardinals, but that is to be expected in a team's first preseason game, as it is often the first time a team has played at full speed against another team since the prior season.

After struggling to tackle early against Houston, Las Vegas began to clean up their tackling in the second half. Still, it is an issue the Raiders would rather eliminate sooner rather than later. Based on the first two preseason games, it is fair to believe they will, but the final preseason game will be more telling.

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans center Jake Andrews (60) in action during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Properly finishing tackles will go a long way toward overcoming the defense's shortcomings this upcoming season.

Offensive Timing

Although Fernando Mendoza started the game against the Texans, he did so with the reserve offensive line. Mendoza has bounced between the reserve and starting offensive lines during practices and both preseason games.

Both practices and the games have shown that Mendoza and the rest of the Raiders' offensive line are still working on the necessary timing. This will come with more experience as Mendoza and the Raiders' offensive line continue to gain experience alongside the rest of Las Vegas' quarterbacks.