Sunday's game will be the third time the Texans have traveled to face the Rams, and just the sixth time these two teams have faced off in the regular season. Maybe that changes the luck for the Texans in this matchup, who have won just once against St. Louis/Los Angeles. Or maybe it won't be luck but the fact that the Texans have the best team they've had in years. But the Rams are no slouch either, obviously.
Both teams were knocked out of the 2024 NFL playoffs in the divisional round on the road. The Rams were stopped in the red zone on a final, potentially game winning drive by the eventual World Champion Philadelphia Eagles, while the Texans lost to the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Enough preamble! Let's get to Know the Texans' Foe for the 2025 opener - the Los Angeles Rams.
2025 Schedule
- Week 1 - Houston Texans
- Week 2 - @ Tennessee Titans
- Week 3 - @ Philadelphia Eagles
- Week 4 - Indianapolis Colts
- Week 5 - San Francisco 49ers
- Week 6 - @ Baltimore Ravens
- Week 7 - @ Jacksonville Jaguars
- Week 8 - BYE WEEK
- Week 9 - New Orleans Saint
- Week 10 - @ San Francisco 49ers
- Week 11 - Seattle Seahawks
- Week 12 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Week 13 - @ Carolina Panthers
- Week 14 - @ Arizona Cardinals
- Week 15 - Detroit Lions
- Week 16 - @ Seattle Seahawks
- Week 17 - @ Atlanta Falcons
- Week 18 - Arizona Cardinals
Rams OFFENSE (in 2024 regular season)
- Rushing Yards Per game - 103.8 ypg (24th in the NFL)
- Passing Yards Per game - 227.5 ypg (10th)
- Total offense per game - 331.4 ypg (15th)
- Turnovers lost - 14 (5 Fumble lost, 9 INT)
Expected Rams starting offense for Week 1
Italics - Rookie | ALL CAPS - New to team in 2025
- QB - Matt Stafford
- RB - Kyren Williams
- WR - Puka Nacua
- WR - DAVANTE ADAMS
- WR - Tutu Atwell
- TE - Tyler Higbee
- LT - Alaric Jackson (probable)
- LG - Steve Avila
- C - SHELTON COLEMAN
- RG - Kevin Dotson
- RT - Rob Havenstein
Key Offensive Non-Starters
- WR - Jordan Whittington
- RB - Blake Corum
- RB - JARQUEZ HUNTER
- TE - Colby Parkinson
- TE - TERRANCE FERGUSON
- QB - Jimmy Garoppolo
- C - Beaux Limmer
Keys to winning vs. the Rams offense
- Matt's Back - When it was announced this summer that Rams QB Matt Stafford had issues with an aggravated disc in his back, I instantly thought "Oh, yeah, just like me." Not that it's just about me, but I had a similar injury and followed a similar pattern of epidural shots and the like. Nothing worked and I eventually had to settle for surgery. I bring that up because through that experience, I didn't see any way where Stafford, if it was really an aggravated disc injury, would be truly ready for week one. But, it appears that the Rams have put together a plan to get him to the starting line and he will start on Sunday. However, that doesn't answer the question of how Stafford will get through a game, taking a beating from the Texans defense. I said it on radio back in July, I would bring all I had on defense to make his life miserable, knocking him to the ground, getting my physical shots on him…legally, of course. That back won't feel good even throwing the ball with no pressure, much less taking the punishment that the Texans defensive front can dish out.
- In or out? - The other major issue for the Rams is left tackle Alaric Jackson. He's been dealing with blood clots in his lower leg. This has been a recurring issue for Jackson, but he's been able to get back on the practice field from all indications. But, even if he is fully healthy, he'll have the time of his life against Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. Jackson missed most of camp and spent very few practices in pads, not getting calloused to the punishment and physicality of football in that time. The Rams interior and RT Rob Havenstein are strong, but I imagine the Rams will give all the help they've got to Jackson, letting Havenstein and company live on their own one-on-one throughout the game. The Texans must exploit that weakness, so to speak.
- The New Crew - What the Rams did in the offseason, essentially trading Cooper Kupp for Davante Adams, creates a ton of questions within the Texans defensive meeting room. How do Puka Nacua and Adams fit together? How will McVay utilize the two of them in the passing game? Those two questions aren't going to be answered in the preparation leading up to the game but they must be addressed early and often in this game. With Kupp on hand, McVay moved him so much within the formation, but eventually Kupp became the team's slot weapon after the snap. Adams may not be used in that way. He MAY line up in the slot and go to work as he did against the Texans as a member of the Jets last year. He had plenty of success and then had the back breaking TD in the fourth quarter against the Texans man-to-man coverage. But, McVay may use Adams differently, especially with Stafford throwing him the rock. Perhaps, McVay and the offensive staff put Nacua in the slot a little bit more, moving HIM like Kupp to find advantageous matchups for everyone in the Rams' passing game. The Texans' defensive key is to get an early understanding of those Rams' receiver roles and adapt the gameplan as the game wears on.
Rams DEFENSE (in 2024 regular season)
- Rushing Yards Allowed Per game - 130.0 ypg (22nd in the NFL)
- Passing Yards Allowed Per game - 223.1 ypg (20th)
- Total offense Allowed per game - 353.1 ypg (26th)
- Turnovers generated - 20 (13 INT, 7 Fumble recoveries - Rams were +6 in TO margin in 2024)
Expected Rams starting defense for Week 1
- Edge - Jared Verse - 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
- DE - Braden Fiske
- NT - POONA FORD
- DT - Kobie Turner
- Edge - Byron Young
- LB - NATE LANDMAN
- LB - Omar Speight
- CB - Darious Williams
- S - Kam Curl
- S - Kamren Kinchens
- CB - Ahkello Witherspoon/Cobie Durant
- 5¢ - Quentin Lake
- Key Defensive Non-Starters
- Edge - JOSAIAH STEWART
- Edge - Nick Hampton
- CB - EMMANUEL FORBES
- DT - TY HAMILTON
- DT - Tyler Davis
Keys to winning vs. the Rams defense
- Chapter and Verse - Last summer, the Rams came for one joint practice with the Texans and I was curious how rookie Jared Verse (and DT Braden Fiske) would handle business, especially against Pro Bowl LT Laremy Tunsil. On the first rep of the team session, Verse got in Tunsil's ear and talked incessantly. Over the years, I've seen that be a motivator for Laremy and he then turns it up in response. But, on the very next play, Verse ran right through Tunsil to QB C.J. Stroud for what would've been a sack. Suffice to say, I was shocked and then not shocked at the same time. And, of course, he kept talking. Verse is a powderkeg of power/explosiveness and he won't stop talking no matter where he lines up on Sunday. His get-off on the snap creates issues as well, but it's his ability to get into tackles and under their pads that has me most worried about the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. The best way to slow him down, however, is with a great run game…speaking of…
- Three yards and a cloud of…turf? - One of the best aspects of the Texans' preseason offense was the ability to stay consistent, chalking up positive yardage on first downs in the run game. Honestly, the Texans were consistent on all downs running the ball in the preseason and got plenty of movement in the run game, especially on interior runs, which this offense hasn't done in a while. I said it often during the preseason TV broadcasts "the play sheet column on an OC's playsheet is much longer at 2nd and seven than 2nd and 12". The Texans were in WAY too many 2nd and 12's the past four to five years to be a consistently GOOD offense. That seems to be changing and when the dam breaks, the Texans have an opportunity to wear teams out up front. That will be ultra-difficult against the studly Rams front, but the last time the Rams played a game that mattered they gave up 285 yards rushing to the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, do the Texans have to get to 285? No, but they have to consistently rush for three to five each time they run the ball. If they can do that, the Rams secondary will have a bear of a time stopping any play action or get much LB help in coverage.
- Get the ball off - After that joint practice against the Rams in 2024, I was asked by someone what I thought about the Rams defense. I remember saying "if a QB can get the ball off, that defense will struggle." My implication was that the Rams had STUDS up front and could rattle any team's protection and opposing QBs as a result. But, if the QB could get the ball off against the secondary, the offenses could have success. I don't think the Rams have improved a ton in the secondary, but experience will make the safeties, in particular Kam Curl and Kamren Kinchens, better in the long run. That front, though, helps that entire group make plays on the ball, so if QB C.J. Stroud can stay protected, I think he can get what he wants in the passing game with the varied weapons the Texans have on offense.
