Raiders vs. Texans Predictions and Odds for Aug. 20: Texans Get Win
In the Lone Star State on Thursday night in Week 2 NFL preseason action, the Houston Texans host the Las Vegas Raiders. Check out our Raiders vs. Texans predictions to get our picks for the game, as well as some info for it and the latest odds.
In Week 1 of the preseason, the Raiders lost to the Arizona Cardinals 27-14, and the Texans’ offense fell flat in a 27-7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Texans as a slight 1.5-point favorite in this game with a total of 40.5.
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The No. 1 pick in the last draft, Fernando Mendoza, passed for 97 yards with a TD and no INT in the preseason Week 1 loss to the Cardinals, but had a pick-6 in the red zone in the Tuesday joint practice with the Texans. He started against the Cardinals and may start in this game, as it remains to be seen whether Kirk Cousins will play.
Raiders’ new head coach Klint Kubiak stated, “We’ll see,” when asked if his starters would play against the Texans. He said Mendoza would be getting a lot of reps for the game but was tight-lipped about other starters seeing the field.
While most of the press coverage about the Raiders in the offseason has focused on Mendoza and Cousins and who will be the starter, the defense may be a bigger issue. They gave up 21 points in the first half of the last game and 156 rushing yards in the loss to the Cardinals.
Las Vegas also has to be a little worried about the run game. In the loss to the Cardinals, they rushed for 103 yards, but 53 came on one run from Mike Washington Jr. Last season, rookie Ashton Jeanty nearly cracked 1,000 rushing yards, and while he only had three carries in last week’s game, he may get more in this game to get the run game going.
Texans Look to Rebound
The Texans look to rebound after their 27-7 preseason Week 1 loss to the Chargers, in which they had only 209 total yards.
While the Raiders’ Kubiak was tight-lipped about his starters playing, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans stated that if healthy, most of his starters will play.
QB C.J. Stroud did not see the field in the loss to the Chargers and may start in this game. He has looked good in camp, as he looks to rebound from a down season. Davis Mills is the established backup and passed for 82 yards with a TD and no INT in the last game.
Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. were both All-Pros last season and are the best edge duo in the AFC. They may get some reps, and the Las Vegas offensive line has a tall task facing them, as they combined for 27 sacks last season.
Last season, Houston’s defense was great and should be again, but the issues revolve around the offense. Because of that, look for more offensive starters to see more time on the field in this game.
Raiders vs. Texans Predictions
Texans cover the spread (-1.5, DraftKings)
Houston will likely play more starters in this game, as Ryans said they will play. How much they will play remains to be seen, but he has a history of playing starters deeper than other head coaches in preseason games. That has led to a 7-3 preseason record for Houston under Ryans, and they will bounce back from last week’s look to win and cover facing the Raiders.
Under 41.5 points
Preseason games are always on the lower side, with backup players seeing most of the game. That will be no different in this contest, as the Under is the call for this preseason AFC matchup.
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