May 28, 2025; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) gestures during organized team activities at Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Rams Outlook for 2025 NFL Season Opener Receives Major Boon

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Los Angeles Rams continue to be one of the most difficult teams to evaluate for the 2025 NFL season. Last year, they had a perplexing campaign. While they won 10 games and advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs, they came into the postseason with the worst point differential in the field.

They were only able to edge out the Seattle Seahawks due to a rare "strength of victory" tiebreaker in the first place. Their overall rankings in pretty much every phase of football suggested that they were a bad team, one closer to landing the first-overall pick than Super Bowl contention. And yet, they overcame a disastrous 1-4 start to the 2024 season, winning five of their last six games to get themselves into the playoffs.

Now, they're setting out to prove themselves as legitimate title threats once again. They signed quarterback Matthew Stafford to a two-year, $84 million contract, reasserting their belief in his ability to lead a winning team. They brought on another elite target for him in veteran wide receiver Davante Adams, another sign that they're looking to contend immediately.

Week 1 odds over Houston Texans improve

The Los Angeles Rams' status as potential Super Bowl contenders fell into danger this past training camp, as Matthew Stafford missed the first two weeks of practice with a lingering back injury. Fans and analysts were concerned over his availability for the season opener against the Houston Texans.

Since then, Stafford was able to return to the field and participate in drills. Head Coach Sean McVay also went on record to say that his quarterback could have suited up earlier, had it been the regular season instead of training camp. All expectations are that Stafford will be fully ready for Week 1's clash versus the Texans.

Not only is Stafford now off of the injury report, but Houston will also be without running back Joe Mixon. The team announced that he'll be placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list ahead of the Texans' final cuts to their 53-man roster. With that designation, Mixon won't be able to practice or play until after the fourth game of the 2025 season.

An update on RB Joe Mixon. pic.twitter.com/nUSc8DSNl5
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 25, 2025

Last week, with Stafford and Mixon's statuses still in the air for Week 1's clash between the Rams and Texans, FanDuel had Los Angeles listed at -130 on the moneyline. They've since moved to -144. They're still tabbed as 2.5-point favorites over Houston. The odds could certainly move further in the Rams' favor as bettors react to the recent developments.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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