Texans Face Familiar Issues in Season Opening Loss to Rams

Sunday was not the sight Houston Texans fans were hoping for out of their team in the 14-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

There were some bright spots, mostly on defense, but it was an opening day to forget; from offensive line shakeups right before kick-off, to the inability to move the ball on the ground. The defense was mostly as advertised, save for stopping Puka Nacua.

Offensive Woes Bring Back 2024 Vibes

The story of the Houston Texans is still the offensive line. With Ed Ingram ruled out prior to the game, the Texans changed their lineup: rookie Aireontae Ersery, usually the left tackle, was moved to right tackle; Cam Robinson started at left tackle; and Tytus Howard shifted into right guard. Center Jake Andrews began at center but left with an injury during the game. These shifts and the resulting lack of continuity contributed to an awful offensive showing. CJ Stroud was 19-of-27 for 188 yards and an interception. The receiving corps as a whole was a no-show, with rookie Jayden Higgins leading all receivers with 32 yards. Tight end Cade Stover had the most catches at four. The ground game was not much better, with Nick Chubb and Stroud having the most rushing yards for the team with 60 and 32 yards, respectively. No other back had more than nine yards rushing.

Pass Defense Forgot Puka

The pass rush did their best to make Matthew Stafford uncomfortable, with Will Anderson Jr, Henry To’oTo’o, and Folorunso Fatukasi each recording a sack. What didn’t go well was the secondary and how they defended the pass. The cornerbacks looked more primed to make sure Davante Adams didn’t burn them, but forgot the Rams’ top target, Puka Nacua, who burned the secondary for 10 catches and 130 yards. Adams had four catches for 51 yards, but seemed to be the prime coverage target. The secondary has to defend better and can’t be beholden to one player when the true number one target is on fire.