In a low-scoring affair, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Houston Texans 14-9 on Sunday afternoon.
A big reason for the Rams’ success was their defense. The Rams had three sacks, a forced fumble and an interception as they limited the Texans’ offense to zero touchdowns.
On the offensive side of the ball, veteran quarterback Mathew Stafford, who had been dealing with an aggravated disk in his back for a large part of the offseason, showed no signs of wear as he went 21-29, throwing for 245 yards and a touchdown.
Another storyline for the Rams this offseason was the acquisition of six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, Davante Adams. Adams had a quiet day on the stat sheet, catching only half of his targets for four receptions and 51 yards.
The game started off slow with Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn providing the only points of the first quarter with a 51-yard field goal.
The main concern of the first quarter wasn’t the score, but rather the potential injury of Rams star wide receiver, Puka Nacua.
Nearing the end of the quarter, Nacua was the victim of a hard helmet-to-helmet collision on a tackle attempt, which resulted in a cut near his eye. Rams fans held their breath as Nacua exited the game and was escorted to the locker room to be evaluated for a potential concussion.
Nacua shortly returned later in the second quarter and put on a show. He ended the day with 10 receptions for 130 yards, the game’s leader in both categories.
Kyren Williams was the lone first-half touchdown scorer as he put the Rams up 7-6 with 53 seconds in the second quarter. The Texans would drive down the field and kick a field goal to go up 9-7 going into halftime.
An early third quarter touchdown pass from Stafford to tight end Davis Allen put the Rams back up 14-9.
Pressure mounted with just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter as the Rams were driving down the field. However, a costly red-zone fumble turned the ball over and set up the Texans for a potential game-winning drive.
Texans quarterback CJ Stroud marched his team down the field, and set them up in great field position at the two-minute warning.
But, just two plays later, running back Dare Ogunbowale caught a pass from Stroud and went to lunge forward to gain some extra yards. In that attempt, Rams linebacker Nate Landman punched the ball out and the Rams recovered.
But, the Texans still had all three timeouts, so the Rams needed one first down to clinch the victory. After a penalty and two runs for Williams, the Rams set themselves up for a difficult third and long. However, the Rams’ dynamic duo of Stafford and Nacua connected for a 24-yard first down to secure the first win of the season.
The Rams travel to Nashville next Sunday to take on the Tennessee Titans where it’ll be a veteran versus rookie quarterback showdown.