Texans vs. Rams: Now That the Dust Has Settled
- Sep 9
- 8 min read
The Houston Texans fell 14–9 to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. On the surface, the result has stirred up plenty of frustration — questions about the offense, penalties, and whether last year’s problems carried over into 2025. Those concerns aren’t without merit; the offense had its struggles.
But context and perspective matter. The Texans were up against one of the NFC’s most complete teams, a group that many view as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. And despite the challenges, Houston still had the ball in the red zone with a chance to win in the final two minutes.
There were issues, yes — but there were also promising signs that shouldn’t be overlooked. That’s why this game deserves a closer look.
Respect the Opponent
Before anything else, it’s important to understand who the Texans were lined up against. The Rams aren’t rebuilding or middling — they’re built to win. Last year, they went on the road and nearly knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round, falling just a few yards short against a team that dominated the rest of the playoff field.
This is a roster led by:
A Super Bowl–winning head coach (Sean McVay)
A Super Bowl–winning quarterback (Matthew Stafford)
One of the best defensive fronts in football
A coaching staff known for creating matchup advantages
Given that backdrop, it’s no small thing that the Texans matched them punch-for-punch until the final drive.
A Defensive Battle by Design
If you expected fireworks, this wasn’t that type of matchup. Both teams pride themselves on physicality, heavy inside-zone and duo run schemes, and play action off of it. Both defenses are built to take those things away.
That usually means points are at a premium — and it was. Rams 14, Texans 9.
Here’s the perspective piece: the Rams didn’t light it up either. Matthew Stafford’s offense scored one touchdown on a 4th & Goal rush by Kyren Williams and added another on play action, but otherwise were bottled up. Their run game was contained, and they managed only 14 points total.
The difference in the end was situational football: red zone execution and turnovers.
Week 1 Unknowns
Every Week 1 comes with surprises — looks that don’t appear in preseason and tendencies that only show up when the real bullets fly. That’s not an excuse, and it goes both ways, but it does shape how games unfold. Against Houston, the Rams unveiled several wrinkles that shifted the matchup:
Stafford Under Center: McVay leaned heavier on Stafford under center even more than he did in 2024. That alignment married their play action game with their runs and stressed Houston’s safeties and linebackers into biting on fakes.
NextGen Stats Puka Nacua in the Slot: With Davante Adams drawing attention outside, Puka slid into the slot more often. That alignment gave him free releases and favorable matchups, capped off by the late 3rd-and-8 dagger where he faked a run block and broke into a route.
The Texans’ Offense: Struggles and Progress
The Numbers
C.J. Stroud: 19/27, 188 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks for 37 yards.
Nick Chubb: 13 carries, 60 yards (4.6 YPC), effective all game.
For comparison:
Matthew Stafford: 21/29, 245 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks for 21 yards.
Kyren Williams: 18 carries, 66 yards (3.7 YPC), bottled up consistently.
The difference wasn’t as big as it might seem. Houston actually outperformed on the ground, with Chubb running more efficiently than Williams.
Areas That Still Hurt
Penalties: False starts, holdings, and illegal formations put the Texans behind the sticks too often.
Tempo: The Texans broke the huddle with only ~10 seconds left too often. That gave Stroud little time to adjust protections or read the defense. Stroud himself admitted to “lollygagging” in his postgame presser, and DeMeco Ryans echoed that frustration.
Third-and-long: Penalties and negative plays created too many of these, limiting the playbook.
Promising Signs
Quick Game: Stroud leaned on shorter throws and timing routes, especially to Nico Collins, to offset pressure. It’s the type of adjustment that wasn’t part of the offense consistently last season.
Mobility: Stroud ran when lanes opened, picking up free yards — an area Houston has encouraged him to grow into.
Interior Protection: With Tytus Howard shifted inside, the middle of the line held up far better than last season.
Pressure Context
Per Next Gen Stats, Stroud was pressured on over 41% of his dropbacks. That’s heavy, but it came mostly from the edges rather than the interior. Compared to 2024, when collapsing guards and centers blew up drives, this was at least manageable. Stroud admitted he may have mis-ID’d a couple of fronts and even stepped into one sack, but those are part of the learning curve with full command of the offense.
And perspective matters: Houston allowed three sacks. The Rams also allowed three sacks. Against one of the NFL’s best fronts, that’s not the disaster it might feel like.
Offensive Line Shuffle
The Texans were already juggling before kickoff. Ed Ingram’s injury forced a reshuffle: Cam Robinson at LT, Aaron at RT, Laken Tomlinson at LG, Jake Andrews at C, and Tytus Howard sliding inside to RG.
The thinking? Interior stability was the priority. Last year showed that inside pressure was more damaging than edge pressure, so the staff wanted Howard in the middle rather than Juice Scruggs. The trade-off showed: the middle was sturdier, but the tackles struggled.
Then came in-game adversity:
Robinson briefly left, forcing Aaron back to LT and rookie Blake Fisher into RT, where he struggled.
Andrews exited with a high ankle sprain, replaced by Jarrett Patterson.
Considering all of that, holding the Rams to three sacks wasn’t just survivable — it was a small step forward compared to 2024.
Receivers and the Backfield
Losing Christian Kirk and Braxton Berrios changed the plan entirely. Both are veteran slot receivers, and their absence left Houston without a true “adjuster” in the middle of the field.
Fans wanted to see rookie Jaylin Noel step in, but he logged just seven snaps. That wasn’t a lack of faith — it’s because slot in this scheme is one of the most cerebral roles in football, requiring on-the-fly reads with the quarterback based on coverages and leverage. It takes time.
As a result, the Texans leaned heavily on Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, Jayden Higgins, and veteran Justin Watson, who drew penalties and provided steady play. But the lack of a true slot limited Nick Caley’s play-calling.
In the backfield, Dare Ogunbowale made two nice catches, including one on the final drive, but fumbled on a slant route with the Texans in position to win. It’s fair to wonder if rookie Woody Marks — one of college football’s best receiving backs — will eventually earn that role, but like Noel, he’s still adjusting to NFL protections and reads.
The Nico Collins Question
One of the most common postgame questions was why Nico Collins wasn’t more involved. He finished with just 3 catches for 25 yards on 5 targets. Stroud explained it was largely the Rams’ defensive approach — a steady diet of two-high shell coverage designed to take away deep shots, where Collins usually thrives.
Stroud also alluded to the offense never really getting into rhythm because of penalties and negative plays. That forced Houston into too many second- and third-and-long situations, which limited Nick Caley’s play sheet. “Hands were tied behind his back” was how Stroud described it.
DeMeco Ryans echoed the same point: too many long-yardage downs made it difficult to feature Collins or fully open up the passing game. In short, the lack of Nico wasn’t by design — it was the result of defensive structure and offensive self-inflicted wounds.
The Defense: Strong With Costly Lapses
By the numbers, Houston’s defense did enough to win:
14 points allowed total.
Kyren Williams held to 66 yards on 18 carries (3.7 YPC).
Three sacks matched the Rams’ total.
But there were moments that hurt — and they mostly came back to eye discipline.
In my preview, I highlighted eye discipline in two specific areas: handling pre-snap motion and resisting Matthew Stafford’s manipulation. The Texans actually did fairly well with motion — communication was sharper and they didn’t get lost with players shifting across the formation.
Where they struggled was the second and third layers.
Stafford’s eye manipulation was a problem, though it’s hard to fault the defense too much there. He’s elite at it, one of the best in football at looking off safeties and linebackers, and making no-look or bending throws into tight windows. Houston got caught a few times, and that’s what Stafford does to almost everyone.
What I didn’t emphasize enough in the preview was play-action eye discipline. That’s where the Texans got hurt the most. The defensive game plan was clearly a smart and effective one: stop the run first, and it worked. Williams was bottled up, and the Rams never found rhythm on the ground. But the aggressiveness also left Houston vulnerable when backs faked carries and Stafford pulled the ball.
TD to TE Davis Allen: Multiple linebackers and safeties bit on the fake, leaving Allen wide open.
Game-icing play to Puka Nacua: On 3rd-and-8, despite the Rams’ longest run all night being just 9 yards, several Texans defenders still sold out against the run. Nacua faked a block, slipped out, and beat Jalen Pitre.
It wasn’t just those two plays, either — the Rams hit on several other play-action passes with Houston defenders caught staring into the backfield. The commitment to stopping the run was effective, but it came at a cost, and McVay exploited it at key moments.
Derrick Stingley Jr.
Stingley played through a hip injury from early in the game, but it showed. On one play, he seemed poised for a vintage bait-and-pick, but couldn’t elevate, turning a possible turnover into a Rams explosive gain.
Physical Identity
The Texans’ defense lived up to DeMeco Ryans’ promise: punishing, physical football. They bloodied receivers, delivered clean but crushing hits, and forced the Rams to earn every yard. Against most teams, that would wear them down. To the Rams’ credit, they absorbed it — but Houston’s defensive tone will pay dividends over the season.
Red Zone and Turnovers: The Deciding Factors
As is often the case, two stats told the story:
Red Zone: Houston stalled in red area, while L.A. cashed in.
Turnovers: Stroud’s interception (more great play by the defense than a poor throw) stalled one drive. Ogunbowale’s fumble ended the last.
Flip either of those, and the Texans might have been celebrating a statement road win.
Big Picture
Yes, the offense needs work. Penalties, tempo, and red zone execution must improve. But context matters:
First game for Nick Caley as play-caller.
New-look offensive line shuffled multiple times mid-game.
Missing veteran slot receivers in Kirk and Berrios.
Full command given to Stroud at the line for the first time.
On the road against a Super Bowl contender.
Even with all of that, the Texans had the ball in the red zone with a chance to win.
This wasn’t 2024 all over again. It was messy, yes — but there were also improvements in stunt pickups, quick game design, Stroud’s pocket management, and interior protection. Those are building blocks.
So while Week 1 didn’t end the way Texans fans hoped, it shouldn’t be viewed as a step back. This was a team standing toe-to-toe with a true contender — and showing glimpses of growth that can carry them forward.
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