Week 1 Preview: Keys for Houston Texans Against the Rams

This Sunday, September 7th, the Texans head to SoFi Stadium to play the Rams in LA. I’ve got a couple of ideas for how Houston Head Coach DeMeco Ryans is likely to game-plan for the matchup. 

Keys to the Game

Trust your defense

The Rams have a new look, swapping 2021 OPOY Receiver Cooper Kupp for another older star WR, Davante Adams. LA had success on the ground last year with now fourth-year RB Kyren Williams. Luckily, Houston has a lot of great pieces on defense led by former LB and DC DeMeco Ryans. You can put CB Derek Stingley on Puka Nacua all day and watch maybe the best CB/WR matchup of the year. You’ve got Will Anderson that you can use to wreak havoc on the Rams' offensive line. Ryans will dial up some smart stuff to get the week 1 win. 

Utilize the quick game

Coincidentally, new OC Nick Caley was hired from the LA Rams last offseason. He’s got to get QB CJ Stroud and WR Nico Collins going quickly, because the Texans' Offensive Line is in a super rough spot. 

This offseason, a move that flew under the radar for some fans was that Houston moved superstar LT Laremy Tunsil to Washington for a haul of draft picks. While that move could certainly benefit Houston in the future, it really jeopardizes the offensive line protecting CJ Stroud. The way that Houston should game plan, in my opinion, is to start targeting Nico Collins in super quick plays – open his route tree up to anything he can effectively run, and run the offense through him like how Kyle Shanahan did through Julio Jones in Atlanta, which brought them to a Super Bowl and got Matt Ryan the MVP award. 

Prediction

Rams 21, Texans 17

Texans @ Rams is at 4:25 PM EST, this Sunday on CBS (National Broadcast). I’m stoked for this elite WR/CB matchup backed by a great offensive coach versus an up-and-coming defensive one. Go Texans!