It has been a productive week for the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of their second preseason game, as they took on the Houston Texans in joint practices on Tuesday. Did they "win" that session, per se? Absolutely not. But they got some great work in and, more importantly at this stage, improved a lot.
Another chance to get better will come on Thursday night when the Raiders take on the Texans in an exhibition match at NRG Stadium in Houston. Several players need to build on strong outings from last week, and others will need to bounce back after starting on the wrong foot in live action.
Zooming out a bit, though, there are several overarching storylines that need to be monitored during Las Vegas' matchup. Here are the five biggest ones to keep tabs on, from Fernando Mendoza's performance to how Rob Leonard's defense responds to a fair amount of adversity in the early going.
Biggest storylines to watch for in Raiders' preseason matchup vs. Texans
How much will the starters play?
Before the preseason opener, Klint Kubiak was quite clear that the starters would all play significant reps. Of course, most of them played just one series, and Maxx Crosby didn't play at all, but the Raiders' young head coach held true to his word. This week, however, he left it more open-ended.
When asked after Tuesday's practice if the starters would play on Thursday, Kubiak simply said, "We'll see." When asked if the film from the joint session would factor into who plays, he said, "Yes." So, fans will really find out who played well in the workout against Houston based on who plays Thursday.
Can Rob Leonard's defense make progress on key issues?
Leonard and his crew weren't too impressive in the first preseason game, nor in joint practices. While the pass rush kicked up a bit on Tuesday with Crosby in the fold, the run defense was still abysmal against a Texans offense that isn't known for its ground attack.
No matter what group is in the game, Raiders fans want to see improvement in these two categories for the Las Vegas defense. The missed tackle number also needs to go down dramatically, the sack numbers need to go up, and the run fits need to be better. This unit is under a microscope already.
Will Fernando Mendoza build on his strong preseason debut?
Mendoza had a nice outing to kick off his professional career against the Cardinals, making smart decisions and sprinkling in some great throws and plays with his feet. He hit a few roadblocks in joint practice against an elite Texans defense, but he also made some good plays in the session.
Kubiak told reporters that Mendoza will play a lot of snaps in the rest of the preseason, as he "needs every one of them." With those reps, Las Vegas fans surely hope to see a young quarterback building on his strong preseason debut and pushing the envelope even more against a stout opponent.
How will young Raiders DBs respond to tough start?
Las Vegas' young cornerbacks, in particular, struggled against Arizona in their first real game action last Thursday night. But by all accounts, they had a strong week of practice, even having a decent outing during practice with Houston on Tuesday. It's time to show fans and the world that prowess.
Zeke Masses, Jermod McCoy and Darien Porter should continue their battle at cornerback, and fans will be anxious to see Treydan Stukes in more situations as well. If they can bounce back from a tough showing in the opener, then that will say a lot about the resiliency of this young group.
Can Klint Kubiak's team clean up the little things?
Last week, the Raiders were penalized seven times in the first half and had a few personal fouls, as well as a kickoff landing zone violation. These are easily correctable mistakes, and the hope is that Kubiak has nipped a lot of this in the bud after an underwhelming showing against the Cardinals.
Little things like improving coverage and returns on special teams and making chip-shot field goals would go a long way, too. For a team that is already up against it ahead of the 2026 season, the Raiders need to prevent beating themselves. That starts with a strong effort on Thursday.
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