VEGAS SPORTS REPORT: Raiders Look for Answers Against Texans as Defensive Concerns Mount

Big questions surround the Las Vegas Raiders as they head into their second preseason game tonight against the Texans in Houston, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Brandon Johnson of the Las Vegas Raiders in action during the joint practice with the Houston Texans at Houston Methodist Training Center on August 18. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) Last week against the Arizona Cardinals, in their opening preseason game, Arizona quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew went 15-for-15, with three touchdowns, in the first half. The Raiders gave up 156 yards on the ground over the game. And on Tuesday (Aug. 18), in a joint practice with the Texans, the run defense struggled again, as Houston backs Woody Marks and David Montgomery ate up sizeable chunks of yardage against the Raiders’ defense, according to media reports there. Raiders Defense Under Microscope The Raiders offense struggled in Tuesday’s session as well, as Houston played a lot of their first-unit players, a defense ranked among the best in the National Football League last season. Game time tonight at Reliant Stadium in Houston is 8pm EST. No word yet on how much playing time Raiders’ head coach Klint Kubiak will be handing his first-team unit tonight. Mendoza Getting Valuable Reps Kubiak was vague when asked about playing time for starters after the joint session Tuesday. “We’ll see,” he said. “I think we could have competed better. We got lots to improve on.” No specific number has been given for how many snaps starting quarterback Kirk Cousins will see tonight, although Kubiak has repeatedly said No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza will play extensively. During Tuesday’s joint practice, Mendoza also took snaps with the first-team offense against Houston’s first-team defense. Texans Rest Starters “You can’t turn the ball over in the red zone, so that’s another lesson learned [for Mendoza],” said Kubiak after the joint session. “I wanted to see [Mendoza] going against the Texans’ ones. That was our plan all along. Thought he did some good things. He’s going to see a lot of reps this preseason. He needs every one of them.” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans told Houston reporters that he felt his first-stringers got all the work they needed in the joint practice and he’ll be leaning on depth pieces in tonight’s game. Golden Knights Getting Remix The National Hockey League (NHL), in collaboration with Fanatics, announced that a new third option for team jerseys will be introduced soon for the upcoming season through its new Hometown Remix initiative, meaning the Vegas Golden Knights will be getting a new look. The league will release more details on the new jersey series in the coming months. The NHL said in a statement the uniforms will “uniquely and authentically celebrate the fans, city, and local culture of each team.” The Golden Knights, entering their tenth season in the NHL, will remove their traditional gray sweaters for regular-season games and will still have their gold home jerseys and white road jerseys, along with the upcoming third option. Aces Fighting for Position The Las Vegas Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) are back on home court tonight, against the Connecticut Sun, at Michelob ULTRA Arena, with tip-off at 7pm PT. The Aces are 24-13; they’ve clinched a playoff berth, but they’ve lost two straight at home. With just seven games left in the regular season, with the regular season ending Sept. 24, it’s about playoff seeding and home-court advantage from here on in. With the loss Tuesday (Aug. 18) to the Atlanta Dream, the Aces slipped behind Indiana into fourth overall spot in the WNBA standings. Playoffs Closing In That makes tonight’s game against the 9-25 Sun vital, since the top four teams in the WNBA receive home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta sits a game back of the Aces in the WNBA standings. The higher the Aces finish in the standings, the better their potential home-court situation deeper into the playoffs. Guard Dana Evans is listed as out for tonight’s game with a leg injury. Athletics Continue to Struggle The Oakland Athletics, moving to Las Vegas for the 2028 Major League Baseball (MLB) season, continue to struggle, currently 49-78 and last in the American League West. It’s a team that’s been slammed of late by injuries to many of the up-and-coming players who will form the foundation of the Las Vegas team in a few years – namely Tyler Soderstrom, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker and Nick Kurtz. The A’s allowed seven runs in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals last night, on their way to a 9-7 loss. The teams go back at it this afternoon, with Gage Jump (5-7, 4.50 ERA) going up against Randy Dobnak (2-1, 1.73 ERA) for the Royals. Game time is 2.10 pm EDT. Stadium Takes Shape Meanwhile, local news yesterday (Aug. 19) detailed how the second steel truss arch in the team’s soon-to-be $2 billion stadium was completed Tuesday (Aug. 18). The next truss scheduled for completion will be the middle one, the tallest, at 290 feet. The trusses will form the foundation of the stadium’s roof. The post VEGAS SPORTS REPORT: Raiders Look for Answers Against Texans as Defensive Concerns Mount appeared first on Casino.org.