The Las Vegas Raiders take on the Houston Texans out of the bye week, and here are some things to keep an eye on in the matchup.
The Las Vegas Raiders will kick off their post-bye week schedule at home this weekend, taking on the lowly Houston Texans. In fact, like the Raiders, the Texans have only one win on the season, but unlike the Raiders, that was kind of the expectation this season.
With the Silver and Black sporting a 1-4 record going into this matchup, the time has come for them to put their foot on the gas and start to make a run back to playoff relevancy. Here, we look at some things to keep an eye on during this battle of one-win AFC teams.
Raiders vs Texans 2022 Week 7: What to watch for
Las Vegas out of the bye week
It is no big secret that the Raiders struggle coming out of the bye week, and even last season, they lost to a terrible team in the New York Giants. Of course, last year’s bye week came with the shocking developments surrounding Henry Ruggs III, but even before that, they had lost their last five straight coming out of the bye.
Against Houston, the Raiders need to have a very business-like approach, as they are by far the better team, and should use this as a kickoff point to a strong second-half run. If they struggle against Houston or even lose, that could be the end for them this season.
Playing down to their competition
As we stated above, the Raiders are the better team on both sides of the ball in this matchup, but as we have seen in the past, they tend to play down to competition. That cannot be the case in this one, as the team needs to start establishing itself as a legitimate playoff contender, even after a 1-4 start.
Derek Carr and this offense have the playmakers to score at will against Houston, and the defense has played much better lately. When all is said and done, this should be an easy Raiders win, but those have been hard to come by as of late.
The health of Darren Waller
After signing his big contract this offseason, tight end Darren Waller has struggled to stay healthy, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be available in this one. Las Vegas already was dealt a big blow on the other side of the ball, with Nate Hobbs going on IR, so getting Waller back is paramount moving forward.
Las Vegas Raiders: Young defensive stars have future looking bright
The Las Vegas Raiders may not have a solid record to start the 2022 season, but their young group on defense gives reasons for optimism moving forward.
Backup tight end Foster Moreau is also banged up right now, which has led to more playing time for Jesper Horsted. Even against a bad team like Houston, the Raiders need more from the tight end group, so keep an eye on the injury report as we inch closer to gameday.