3 Winners, 2 Losers From Texans' Second Preseason Game vs. Raiders

The Houston Texans dropped their second preseason game of the year against the Las Vegas Raiders, 20-22, as a fourth-quarter comeback from the Raiders would end up stuffing this Texans team short of a win on their home field, and thus takes their preseason record to a whopping 0-2.

There was a lot to take away from this game for the Texans, though. Several offensive starters played in the first quarter, multiple big plays went down in the second quarter, and we saw many players' stock go up and down throughout who might be looking for a big role or a 53-man roster spot.

Let's break down three winners and two losers from the Texans' preseason loss to Las Vegas:

Rhiser: RB Woody Marks

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (4) rushes for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texans' starters that played on the offensive end––including Woody Marks––only appeared in one drive; a bit less than they were expected to play heading into the night. But part of that decision to cut things short might've been sparked because of the excellent drive seen from this scoring attack, really spearheaded by the efforts of Marks.

Marks carried the ball four times for 37 yards and caught a pass for eight yards, with his highlight play of it all stemming from his final carry of the night, which was a 20-yard touchdown run in the first quarter that really showcased his explosiveness and ability to make plays after contact.

4️⃣ punches it in for 6️⃣

📺: @nflonespn pic.twitter.com/is4eFuTbDm
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 21, 2026

If Marks can continue to run as effectively and as efficiently as he did on Thursday against Vegas, it's going to be increasingly tough for the Texans to keep him off the field getting deeper into the regular season.

Faller: QB Brett Rypien

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Brett Rypien (16) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texans had to go out and bring in another quarterback this past week after Graham Mertz went down with a season-ending ACL tear in last week's preseason game. They landed on veteran free agent Brett Rypien, and in his first game with Houston, things didn't pan out exactly as ideally as he would've hoped.

Rypien completed 6 of his 10 passes throughout the night for a total of 44 yards, lost a fumble in the middle of the third quarter, and threw an interception in the final drive of the game. He was also sacked twice for a total of 16 yards.

Perhaps a slow start is to be expected for Rypien, considering he's been in the building for just under a week, but performances like that could very well be what prompts the Texans to go search for another quarterback to compete for that third spot on the depth chart.

Riser: LB Wade Woodaz

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Wade Woodaz (30) celebrates his 80 yard interception for a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's no question that the Texans' biggest defensive play of the night came from rookie linebacker Wade Woodaz, who ran back an interception on Fernando Mendoza 80 yards for a touchdown in the Raiders' first offensive drive of the game, leading to an early 14-0 lead from Houston.

TEXANS PICK-6 ALERT 🚨

LVvsHOU on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/li2QM4hEah
— NFL (@NFL) August 21, 2026

For Woodaz, it was a play showcasing exactly why the Texans were first interested in him as a fourth-round pick back in April's draft: he's a playmaker on the defensive end with a combination of great size and speed that can be dangerous in the right situation.

If Woodaz can continue to keep up similar production and make big plays, you can expect him to be the one who places atop the leaderboard on the roster to land the Texans' LB3 spot on the depth chart by the time Week 1 rolls around.

Faller: RB Noah Whittington

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Noah Whittington (26) rushes against Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) in the first half at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texans, only playing Marks one drive and resting David Montgomery throughout the night, split their reps in the backfield between Owen Wright and Noah Whittington. Neither back was especially stellar, and that's especially so for Whittington, who had the least productive day of any runner on either side.

He tied the game-high for nine carries, but was last for yards per carry (outside of quarterbacks), with a total of 11 yards and 1.2 yards per attempt.

It's nothing to panic over as it relates to the Texans' running back room. Their top three options on the depth chart in Montgomery, Marks, and Jahwar Jordan either didn't play or barely played in this game. But for Whittington's stock as a fringe RB3/RB4 in this offense, a better performance could've made his roster security look a lot better right now.

Riser: DT Kayden McDonald

Jul 30, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive tackle Kayden McDonald (93) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texans rested all of their defensive starters on Thursday night, so it's not a surprise that the unit finished the game with a total of one sack. That won't be much of a normal sight in the box score once the regular season kicks off.

But that one sack the Texans did seek out was from their second-round selection from earlier this offseason, Kayden McDonald, who took down Fernando Mendoza for an 11-yard sack on the first play of the second quarter.

KMAC WITH THE SACK 😮‍💨

📺: @nflonespn pic.twitter.com/kOks1uMcrW
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 21, 2026

McDonald is looking to claw his way into more and more snaps within the Texans' defensive line rotation for his rookie season, and showing he can bring pressure on the quarterback from the interior is huge for any defensive tackle. So these types of plays show up in film, and might just help push his stock in the right direction.

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