The Las Vegas Raiders earned their first win of the preseason against the Houston Texans despite going down 17-0 in the first quarter.
The Las Vegas Raiders enjoyed a nice 22-20 comeback victory over the Houston Texans this past Thursday after going down 17-0 in the first quarter.
The Raiders outscored Houston 22-3 over the final three quarters acter some excellent work from the defense to keep the Texans offense in check. The offense struggled to get going with No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza under center, as he completed eight of 15 passes for 86 yards and a 42.6 passer rating.
Mendoza threw an 80-yard pick-6 to Houston’s Wade Woodaz midway through the first quarter and was also sacked for a loss of 11 yards. A bump in the road for Mendoza after a strong showing in training camp and the preseason opener.
But the Raiders pulled it out on the shoulders of quarterback Aidan O’Connell and strong defensive presence from Las Vegas’ secondary in the second half. Las Vegas didn’t allow a point in that half, opening the door for a thrilling performance from the offense.
While the team has struggled in coverage through two preseason games, ESPN's Ryan McFadden says the future is bright for a young secondary that features several first- and second-year players.
Cornerback Darien Porter is entering his second season but has a lot to learn after being a wide receiver for most of his college days. Fourth-round pick Jermod McCoy, who had a brutal knee injury that kept him off the field in 2025, has first-round talent and will be a beast when he is playing at full-strength.
Fifth-round CB Hezekiah Masses fits into the same category as Porter, a young player learning the position at the National Football League level. Second-round safety Treydan Stukes was high on a lot of draft boards, but the Raiders are asking him to learn deep safety while also playing nickel back.
There’s tons of talent here, but McFadden believes it’ll take a season or two for the unit to really blossom.
“The Raiders' young secondary could be quite good in a season or two, but asking it to fix last season's pass-coverage issues immediately might be too tall a task,” McFadden wrote Saturday.
“[Arizona] Cardinals quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II combined for 16 straight completions in the first half last week, and Texans backup Davis Mills completed 11 of 15 passes for 93 yards in the first half Thursday night.”
This will be an exciting team to watch over the next few years regardless of how this season plays out. Las Vegas might not be destined for the postseason this year, and that’s OK, because the building blocks are in place.
