The Houston Texans’ starters might have flashed some serious promise, but that’s not the real takeaway from their latest preseason outing. Instead, everyone’s buzzing about how the Las Vegas Raiders pulled off an insane 17-point comeback, clinching a 22-20 win at Reliant Stadium. Backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell was the hero, leading the charge to spoil what looked like a solid first half for Houston.
First Half Flash, Then a Freefall
It’s tough to watch your team fall to 0-2 in the preseason, even if the real story unfolded in the first half. Houston’s projected starter, No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, had a rough go of it against Las Vegas. Rookie linebacker Wade Woodaz snatched an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown off Mendoza, who also got sacked for an 11-yard loss by rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald. Mendoza, fresh off leading Indiana to a national championship and winning the Heisman, played the whole first half and finished 8 of 15 passing for 86 yards. On the Texans’ side, the starters only got one series, but it looked good! C.J. Stroud was 4 of 6 for 27 yards, converting three crucial third downs. Running back Woody Marks even punched it in for a 20-yard touchdown with 11 minutes left in the first quarter, getting Houston on the scoreboard early. You could feel the potential, right?
The Second Half Meltdown That No One Saw Coming
Then the second half hit, and man, it was a self-implosion of epic proportions. Third-string quarterback Brett Rypien fumbled on his second drive, handing Las Vegas prime field position. Dylan Laube capitalized with a 4-yard run, bringing the Raiders within 10 points heading into the fourth quarter. It just kept getting worse. Former Texans special teams standout Dare Ogunbowale then made it a three-point game with a 19-yard touchdown run in the fourth. With 16 seconds left, O’Connell, who finished 15-of-24 for 166 yards, connected with wide receiver Brandon Johnson for a huge 33-yard gain, setting them up at the 1-yard line. The former Raiders starter then scored on the very next play to seal the comeback win. Brutal.
Starters usually sit out the preseason finale, so this might be the last we see of Stroud, Marks, and the others until Week 1. Next up, the Texans are hitting the road for a joint practice against the Carolina Panthers next Tuesday. Then they’ll close out their preseason schedule Friday night at Bank of America Stadium. After that kind of collapse, you gotta wonder how much of that second-half meltdown will stick with them when the real games kick off.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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