What Stood Out Most in Raiders' Win Over Texans

The Raiders faced a well-put-together Texans team, with most of their work being done in practice. Las Vegas' decision to sit their starters in the preseason game allowed the bulk of their roster to get valuable experience against a different team without the pressure of winning or losing.

Las Vegas has had productive practices leading up to and throughout the preseason, but their two exhibition matchups have undoubtedly made them better , and they did so at a faster pace than solely practicing against themselves. Head coach Klint Kubiak shared his thoughts on the past week.

“Well, I'm so glad we got the practice against them. That was really important for our team to spend that time in Houston and get some really good work against a different scheme and a really good coaching staff,” Kubiak said the day after Las Vegas’ comeback win.

The Raiders are in the beginning stages of a much-needed rebuild. Preseason games do not mean much, but they mean something. As Las Vegas continues to put the pieces together, they are sure to have their growing pains during practice and during the regular season.

However, for the first time in a long time, the Raiders appear prepared to deal with those inevitable growing pains. Las Vegas' comeback win over the Texans showed, at the coaching and execution level on the field, that it is hard to deny the progress since the end of last season.

Las Vegas is a better team than the one that arrived in Houston at the top of the week, as many of their reserves gained experience they may not get in practice or the regular season. There were multiple things that stood out against the Texans on Thursday.

What Stood Out vs. Texans

Unlike last week, Las Vegas got off to a slow start, as they started their reserves on both sides of the ball. The Raiders found themselves in an early hole following a Fernando Mendoza interception. However, Las Vegas' defense did just enough to keep the team in the game.

They have a long way to go, and they have to find a way to translate the bits of success they are having into meaningful results on the field in the regular season. Still, the Raiders showed a fight that was not there last season. They showed why sitting the starters was a good idea.

“The resilience sticks out because we shot ourselves in the foot. We had nine penalties, five on special teams. The first half was atrocious. We started slow on both sides of the ball, and in the NFL, it's all about winning the game,” Kubiak said. 

“And so, we gutted it out and found a way to win, and that's how this whole season's going to be. All these games come down to the wire, and you get to learn a lot about players in practice, but you learn a whole lot more, and when the live bullets are flying in a game, and I learned a lot about guys in a good way last night." 

Thursday's preseason win over the Texans gives Las Vegas' reserves something to hang their hat on. Several of those players will be called upon during the 2026 season; they should have increased confidence when they step onto the field after Thursday night's performance.

The Raiders will need their reserves to step up just as much as they will need their starters. Many of the players who played on Thursday may only play sparingly during the regular season, if at all. However, the coaching staff now has reason to believe that with more preparation, they will be ready.