Texans look to extend winning streak to 7 games in matchup with Raiders, losers of 8 straight

Las Vegas (2-12) at Houston (9-5)

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, CBS.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Texans by 14 1/2.

Against the spread: Raiders 5-9; Texans 8-6.

Series record: Texans lead 8-5.

Last meeting: Raiders beat Texans 38-20 on Oct. 23, 2022, in Las Vegas.

Last week: Raiders lost to the Eagles 31-0 in Philadelphia; Texans beat Cardinals 40-20 in Houston.

Raiders offense: overall (32), rush (32), pass (29), scoring (32).

Raiders defense: overall (16), rush (17), pass (16), scoring (25).

Texans offense: overall (19), rush (23), pass (14), scoring (17).

Texans defense: overall (1), rush (4), pass (4), scoring (1).

Turnover differential: Raiders minus-4; Texans plus-14.

Raiders player to watch

LB Devin White. He has put himself in position for the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dreadful season. His 149 tackles are second only to Miami’s Jordyn Brooks, who has 155. White also has 10 tackles for loss, the second-highest total of his career. He had 15 in 2020 while playing for Tampa Bay.

Texans player to watch

QB C.J. Stroud. He had what coach DeMeco Ryans called his best game of the season against the Cardinals. Stroud completed 22 of 29 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns for a passer rating of 137.1 in his third game back after missing three after a concussion. It was the first game of his career in which he had at least 250 yards passing, three touchdowns and a 75% completion percentage and his passer rating was the third highest of his career.

Key matchup

The Raiders’ offensive line vs. Houston’s DEs Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. Las Vegas has allowed an NFL-high 54 sacks this season and Geno Smith, who missed last week with an injury, has been sacked 49 times, which is the most by a single player. The Texans rank eighth in the NFL with 38 sacks, led by Hunter and Anderson who have combined for 22 1/2.

Key injuries

Raiders: Smith (shoulder and back) could return this week. … T Kolton Miller (ankle) is practicing again this week, but whether he plays is yet to be decided.

Texans: DT Mario Edwards Jr. ruptured a pectoral muscle and is out for the season. … CB Derek Stingley injured an oblique against the Cardinals and missed practice this week. … RB Woody Marks is dealing with a nagging ankle injury that kept him out of portions of Sunday’s game. … RB Nick Chubb missed Sunday’s game with a rib injury, but could return Sunday.

Series notes

Houston won the first three games in the series and five of the first six. … The Raiders won two in a row after that stretch. … The Texans won two in a row before losing the most recent meeting, including a 27-14 victory in an AFC wildc-card game in 2017.

Stats and stuff

The Raiders have lost eight in a row and 12 of 13. They had a 10-game losing streak last season. … Las Vegas is currently in the second draft position. … The Raiders are the first team to go six games in a row with 17 or fewer points and fewer than 275 yards since Cleveland in 2008. It’s the first time the Raiders have had such a stretch. … Brock Bowers has 171 receptions, the highest number for any tight end through his first 28 games. His 1,841 yards receiving are second to Pro Football Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow’s 1,887. … S Jeremy Chinn is the eighth defensive back since 1982 with six consecutive seasons with at least one sack. … A victory would give Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll 173 for his career, which would move him into a tie for 16th with Jeff Fisher. Carroll is currently tied with Bill Parcells. … The Texans have won six straight games for their longest winning streak since winning nine in a row in 2018. … RB Jawhar Jordan had 101 yards rushing in his NFL debut last week after being on the team’s practice squad since last season. … TE Dalton Schultz had eight receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown last week. … LB Azeez Al-Shaair led the team with a season-high 12 tackles against the Cardinals. He has had at least five tackles in seven straight games. … LB Henry To’oTo’o had 10 tackles, including a tackle for loss last week. … Jalen Pitre, Calen Bullock, Kamari Lassiter have four interceptions each to give the Texans three players with at least four for the first time in franchise history. … Lassiter had five tackles, two passes defensed and an interception against Arizona. He ranks fourth in the AFC with 14 passes defensed this season. … Stingley had three tackles and his first tackle for loss last week. He had five tackles in his last game against the Raiders.

Fantasy tip

Houston’s Nico Collins had his first two-touchdown performance of the season last week against the Cardinals and had 85 yards receiving to give him a third straight 1,000-yard season. He scores most of his touchdowns at home, with 18 of his 24 career scores coming in Houston.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL