Raiders insider reveals franchise priorities and QB futures. Will young talent shine or fade as the Texans surge?
The Houston Texans (9-5) host the Las Vegas Raiders (2-12) tomorrow at 3:25 p.m. from NRG Stadium. The Texans are coming in as winners of their last six in a row, while the Raiders have lost their last eight straight.
Raiders fan and Site Expert for FanSided's "Just Blog Baby" (@JustBlogBaby on X), Levi Dombro (@leviidombroo on X), joined me at the Texans Roundtable today to discuss the course of the Raiders' season and what Sunday afternoon's match-up could look like between Houston and Las Vegas.
Clayton Anderson: At 2-12, what do you think the priorities are for the Raiders franchise heading into Sunday afternoon?
Levi Dombro: For Raider Nation, the priority is simply losing and the team keeping their high draft position. The top priority for the franchise, however, should be seeing what they have in their young players.
Throwing rookies and second-year guys into the fire in this ultimately inconsequential game would do wonders for their development, and they should just want to see these guys learn on the job and take a positive step. Winning seems a bit out of the question, so progress and slivers of hope are the name of the game in Las Vegas.
CA: With Raiders Quarterback Geno Smith's return from injury, do you think the final 3 games will function as a type of "try-out" for him for next season?
LD: Honestly, I hope not. He had 13 games to prove that he should be the Raiders' starter, and he’s shown that he may not even be a viable bridge guy. Kenny Pickett obviously wasn’t any better last week, but the offense has been historically bad, and Smith is a major component of those failures.
His fate is likely tied to Pete Carroll’s, and unless they find something in the final three weeks, they’ll both likely be kicked to the curb without hesitation. The Raiders run through coaches and quarterbacks like candy.
CA: Do you think Running Back Ashton Jeanty still has a chance to make an impact before the end of the regular season? What could that look like?
LD: With the current state of the offensive line, I find it hard to believe that Jeanty is going to find any more success than he has this season. If they can continue to utilize him in the passing game and get him out in space, there could be incremental improvement. But until massive reinforcements come up front, there is only so much he can do.
He just needs to keep breaking tackles and getting yards after contact like he has been, and when they finally figure things out on the offensive line, he’ll make a major impact. But I don’t foresee that happening in the waning phase of the season here.
CA: What young players are you focused on for this game?
LD: Obviously, Jeanty and Brock Bowers are the big two. However, I’d love to see Jack Bech continue to get more involved in the passing game. He always makes the most of his opportunities, and he simply needs more of them. Caleb Rogers should have another big test against this Texans defensive line, and I’d love to see how he responds after a rough showing last week.
Defensively, Darien Porter needs a bounce-back game as well, and it’d be nice to see defensive tackles J.J. Pegues and Tonka Hemingway have a coming out party. Tommy Eichenberg needs more reps, as he played well last week, and DJ Glaze also needs to step things up, or he may soon be out of a job.
CA: What are three keys for a Raiders win?
LD: Oof. This is tough. With the worst scoring offense in the league, it’s hard to imagine a route to victory against the NFL’s best scoring defense. If Las Vegas can somehow establish the run and at least make the time of possession battle 'close', that will go a long way in keeping this game competitive.
From there, it may take a series of hectic plays like a blocked punt or a big return, maybe even a defensive touchdown. The Raiders could always find a random spark, but they've struggled to even move the ball, let alone score. Winning hasn’t even been on the radar lately.
We at the Texans Roundtable appreciate Mr. Dombro and "Just Blog Baby" once again for their contributions to the conversation and to quality professional sports discourse.
What's your final score prediction for the game? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and on the official Texans Roundtable X account, @Texans_RTB!