HOUSTON – For better or worse, much of what transpired in Tuesday’s joint practice carried over into the Las Vegas Raiders’ 22-20 preseason victory over the Houston Texans.
Quite frankly, things didn’t necessarily go as planned for the Raiders in their joint practice. And some of the same issues from the session were persistent at the start of Thursday’s preseason matchup.
However, the Silver and Black held their composure for a 17-point comeback victory on the road.
“Plenty to clean up, plenty to get better at,” Klint Kubiak said after his first win as a head coach.
“But what great heart that we showed in the second half,” he added. “The whole team – offense, defense – really proud of our guys.”
Holding up against Houston’s pass rush was somewhat concerning, even against a second-team Texans unit. Fernando Mendoza was sacked once by rookie Kayden McDonald, hit five times in the pocket and throw an untimely pick six while being pressured to another rookie Woody Woodaz.
“I came away that there’s a lot more learning to do,” Mendoza said. “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.”