HOUSTON TEXANS at RAMS
When: 1:25 p.m. Sunday
Where: SoFi Stadum
TV/Radio: CBS/710 AM; 93.1 FM; 1330 AM (Spanish); Sirius 227, 382
Line: Rams by 3.5
Notable injury designations
Texans: OUT: WR Christian Kirk (hamstring), WR Braxton Berrios (hamstring); QUESTIONABLE: OL Ed Ingram (abdomen).
Rams: None.
What’s at stake? Both teams have playoff aspirations, so both teams want to start their season off on a positive note. But with more road games than home this year and a difficult schedule to end the year, the Rams need to win early in the season to take pressure off themselves in the home stretch.
Who’s better? With Texans running back Joe Mixon (foot/ankle) on the physically unable to perform list, the edge goes to the Rams. Particularly because Houston completely remade its offensive line this offseason and we can’t be sure how it will operate together in game action.
Matchup to watch: Rams pass rush vs. Texans offensive line. As just mentioned above, what was a weakness for Houston a year ago is an even bigger question mark with four new starters protecting quarterback C.J. Stroud. If the Rams can keep the injured Texans run game in check and get Houston into passing downs, Jared Verse and crew could make life difficult for Stroud.
Rams win if: They limit the Texans below 100 yards rushing. … Puka Nacua and Davante Adams combine for 150 receiving yards. … The Rams sack Stroud three times or more.
Fantasy sleeper: Rams RB Jarquez Hunter. The rookie is not expected to get a lot of touches; Kyren Williams is still the workhorse in this offense, after all. But with his speed, Hunter has the potential to turn a limited workload into significant fantasy points if he can break one or two runs or catches for big gains.
Prediction: Rams 27, Texans 17.