Raiders vs Texans Game Analysis and Preview
The Las Vegas Raiders travel to Houston to meet the Texans on Thursday, August 20, for preseason Week 2. Kickoff is at 5 pm PT with us at PayPerHead.
Houston’s head coach, DeMeco Ryans, has made it clear that everyone who is healthy for Thursday’s game will play. Starting QB C.J. Stroud and RB David Montgomery will see more action than in Week 1. By Week 2, it’s important to continue evaluating the newcomers while also letting the starters knock off the rust.
Las Vegas’ first-year head coach, Klint Kubiak, is keeping it closer to the chest regarding who will play in this preseason game.
Las Vegas Raiders Recent Updates: Straight Losses
In Week 1 of the preseason, the Raiders lost to the Cardinals 14-27, only scoring in the first half. The No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Fernando Mendoza, completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards, one touchdown pass, and no picks. He struggled under pressure, going 2-for-6 for 11 yards with a 42.4 passer rating, and was sacked once, but it was a solid pro debut for the 22-year-old.
The Raiders finished the 2025 season with a 3-14 record. They weren’t able to improve on the 4-13 record in 2024, so they fired head coach Pete Carroll after only one season. Las Vegas has had four straight losing seasons and four straight seasons not making the playoffs. But because of that record, they were able to clinch the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
Houston Texans Recent Updates: On a Roll
Ryans enters his fourth year as head coach for the Texans. In each of his three seasons, he’s posted a winning preseason record, for a total of 7-3 over that span. If he wants to maintain that, he’ll have to win the next two games, as the Texans lost to the Chargers 7-27 in Week 1.
Houston finished 2025 with a 12-5 record, which earned them second place in their division and a wild card position. They beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 in the Wild Card game, but lost to the New England Patriots 16-28 in the Divisional game. In 2023 and 2024, Houston finished with a 10-7 record, which was good enough for first place each year. They made the playoffs for three consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.
Suit 🆙 pic.twitter.com/peWppNWQN9
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 19, 2026
Raiders vs Texans History: Successful Joint Practice
These teams tend to have close games when they meet every year or two. Their last battle came in December of 2025 when Houston beat Las Vegas 23-21. Houston has the edge with six wins in their last 10 contests.
Joint practice on Tuesday helped the young Raiders team improve as they worked against the Houston veterans. The Houston offensive line gave QBs all the time they needed to throw the ball.
Raiders vs Texans Prediction: Rebuilding Raiders
The Texans are favorites by a slight margin (about -1.5), as is the case for most of the Week 2 games.
Houston used the offseason to address its offensive line issue by adding new pieces. That helped the starters, but the backup linemen are still relatively weak, which is why they struggled against the Chargers in Week 1. Expect more starters this week against the Raiders, who are still installing systems under a new coaching staff as this team continues to rebuild.
Our Raiders vs Texans prediction is a close game, but not as close as the odds suggest. Houston will win this one 22-14.
