Las Vegas Raiders vs Houston Texans Picks and Prediction for Thursday August 20, 2026

The Las Vegas Raiders travel to Houston to face the Houston Texans in NFL preseason Week 2 on Thursday, August 20, 2026. Kickoff from NRG Stadium is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET. Both teams enter the matchup at 0-1 after losing their preseason openers, with Las Vegas falling 27-14 to Arizona and Houston losing 27-7 to the Los Angeles Chargers.

The betting market has moved around early in the week. Current listings have Las Vegas around a 1.5-point favorite, with the total generally sitting between 37.5 and 40.5 depending on the sportsbook. For this preview, we'll use Raiders -1.5 and Over/Under 37.5 as our working numbers. Bettors looking for more football analysis can check out our free NFL picks throughout the preseason and regular season.

Previous Game Recap

Las Vegas opened the preseason with a 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but the Raiders' first offensive possession provided an encouraging look at the top of their quarterback rotation. Kirk Cousins completed 5 of 6 passes for 50 yards and directed a 10-play, 68-yard touchdown drive. The possession ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Michael Mayer after completions to Jack Bech and Tre Tucker helped move the Raiders down the field.

The most important development after Cousins left was the preseason debut of No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. His performance received positive reviews despite the Raiders eventually losing by 13 points. The larger issue was that Las Vegas couldn't sustain its early success throughout the game. The Raiders scored on their opening possession but managed only seven additional points as Arizona pulled away.

Houston had a considerably rougher preseason opener. The Texans lost 27-7 at home to the Los Angeles Chargers, meaning they were outscored by 20 points in their first preseason game. Houston rested much of its first-team personnel, making the result less useful as an evaluation of the regular-season Texans but very useful when evaluating the depth that will again matter during preseason football.

The Chargers controlled enough of the game to build a comfortable margin, while Houston's offense produced only seven points. That creates an important Week 2 question: can the Texans generate considerably more offense as their preseason workload expands?

Raiders Show Promise at Quarterback

Las Vegas may be 0-1, but the final score against Arizona doesn't tell the complete story. The Raiders immediately moved the football with Cousins operating the offense, and his 5-of-6 passing performance demonstrated excellent efficiency on the opening possession. Mendoza then received his first NFL preseason experience after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 draft.

That quarterback situation makes Las Vegas particularly interesting from a preseason handicapping perspective. Veteran efficiency at the top of the rotation is valuable, but having a highly drafted rookie quarterback who needs developmental snaps can be even more important later in a preseason game. Mendoza showed enough in his debut to provide some confidence that Las Vegas can continue moving the football after its veteran personnel leaves the field.

The concern comes from what happened after the opening touchdown drive against Arizona. Las Vegas finished with only 14 points and lost 27-14. The Raiders therefore need better consistency from their reserve units rather than simply another promising opening possession. Still, there were more offensive positives in the Raiders' opener than the final score might initially suggest.

Texans Look for an Offensive Response

Houston also enters Week 2 at 0-1, but its 27-7 loss to the Chargers was considerably more one-sided. The Texans' lack of production is especially important when evaluating a relatively low total because Houston needs to demonstrate that its reserve offense can consistently sustain drives.

There is an important difference entering this game, however. Houston's first-team offense and defense largely sat out the opener, while reports entering the Raiders matchup indicate that the starters are expected to participate against Las Vegas. Houston is also holding a joint practice with the Raiders leading into Thursday's game.

That makes Houston potentially much different from the team that scored seven points against Los Angeles. The possibility of C.J. Stroud and other first-team personnel seeing action increases the Texans' early-game offensive ceiling, although preseason playing time can change quickly and shouldn't be treated as guaranteed beyond what the coaching staff confirms.

Houston still needs considerably better production from the deeper portions of its roster. The Texans were beaten by 20 points in their opener, and once the starters leave, the same depth questions that surfaced against the Chargers could become important again.

Las Vegas Raiders vs Houston Texans Picks and Prediction

Pick: Las Vegas Raiders -1.5

The Raiders are the preferred side at -1.5. Houston should be more competitive if its first-team personnel receives playing time, but Las Vegas demonstrated something valuable at both ends of its quarterback rotation in Week 1. Cousins was extremely efficient during his brief appearance, while Mendoza gained his first NFL preseason experience and gives the Raiders a developmental quarterback they have reason to evaluate extensively.

Preseason games frequently turn once the starters leave, which makes quarterback depth particularly important. Houston may have the better opportunity to start quickly compared with its opener, but Las Vegas appears better positioned to maintain offensive competence deeper into the game. At anything around Raiders -1.5, I'll lay the short number rather than asking Las Vegas to win by a larger margin.

Pick: Over 37.5

The Week 1 results naturally point toward the under because Las Vegas scored 14 points and Houston scored seven. However, 37.5 is a low enough number to make the over more attractive.

Houston should have a better opportunity to contribute offensively if more of its first-team personnel participates, while Las Vegas showed it could efficiently move the football with its veteran quarterback and has a rookie quarterback who should benefit from additional preseason work. We don't need an offensive shootout to clear this number. A game in the neighborhood of 23-17 gets us there.

Prediction: Las Vegas Raiders 23, Houston Texans 20

Best Bet: Las Vegas Raiders -1.5