Many inside the Las Vegas Raiders organization were hoping that some of their depth players would make an impact on the road against the Houston Texans.
While they did get exactly what they were looking for, it did not necessarily come from the expected sources.
On Thursday, the Raiders were able to make a statement in their second preseason game, completing a second-half comeback in the final minute to secure a 22-20 victory over the Texans.
Early on, it was looking as though the gap between the two teams was more of a chasm.
The Texans would strike first by way of a Woody Marks 20-yard touchdown on their first drive of the game. Following that, Fernando Mendoza would get himself into trouble with an interception to Wade Woodaz, then winding up on the receiving end of a stiff arm from the rookie linebacker en route to a pick six. It served as Mendoza’s ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment in his first start to highlight what was a forgettable night at the office for him, going 8-for-15 for 86 passing yards and the costly pick.
"I came away that there's a lot more learning to do," Mendoza said about his challenging day.
"Although maybe you had success at another level, this level's a whole step further and the margins are so small. One tiny mistake can lead to catastrophe. Want to make sure that I best serve my teammates and get better from these experiences."
By the time the first quarter was over, the Raiders already found themselves in a 17-0 hole.
However, the first half was not all doom and gloom for the Silver and Black. In particular, a defense that was victimized a week ago by the Arizona Cardinals found form after letting go after the first touchdown. In particular, the secondary did not allow a single touchdown through the air, with rookies Treydan Stukes, Hezekiah Masses and Jermod McCoy all showing improvement, although McCoy did have a third down pass breakup canceled out by a widely-panned taunting penalty.
Needing a spark in the second half, the Raiders turned to Aidan O’Connell to provide some offense, and the third-year quarterback delivered after a rough outing against Arizona.
O’Connell was much more efficient this time around, spreading the ball around for a final stat line of 15-for-24 for 166 passing yards. Although the touchdowns came on the ground thanks to Dylan Laube and Dare Ogunbowale, O’Connell did well to showcase his value to the Raiders.
The defense also went from turning on the pressure to making plays of their own. Patrick Johnson put together another strong day, as the veteran edge rusher got a strip sack on Texans quarterback Brett Rypien to give the Raiders the ball back. Undrafted free agent Jahfari Harvey would record a strip sack as well to make a statement in his own right.
The only real blemish in the second half came from two missed extra points from Kansei Matsuzawa, but the Raiders did well for themselves as they pushed for a touchdown on their final drive in the last 1:37 of the game.
In the final minute, the miracle sequence started when O’Connell found Brandon Johnson for a 33-yard gain to put the ball at the goal line. The third-year quarterback would carry the ball in himself to put the Raiders in the lead for the first time, and rookie safety Devin Lafayette would finish the job with an interception on Rypien.
"I thought the team did a great job," O'Connell said. "Fight until the end. Everybody was in it. We had encouragement even from the guys who weren't playing and then obviously the guys that were playing, finishing off like that was great."
The victory ultimately does not count, but it did show that the team has the ability to rally under head coach Klint Kubiak. Even if the quarterback does not have the best day under center, the Raiders will not allow themselves to be an easy out for anyone in 2026.
"Plenty to clean up, plenty to get better at," Kubiak said. “But what great heart that we showed in the second half. The whole team – offense, defense – really proud of our guys."
Given that the team is still in a rebuild, having that heart has the Raiders moving in the right direction already.