Stroud’s Texans visit Stafford-led Rams to open season in matchup of reigning division champs

Houston (11-8) at Los Angeles Rams (11-8)

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS

BetMGM NFL odds: Rams by 3.

Series record: Rams lead 4-1.

Last meeting: Rams beat Texans 38-22 in Houston on Oct. 31, 2021.

Texans offense: overall (22), rush (15), pass (21), scoring (19).

Texans defense: overall (6), rush (11), pass (6), scoring (14).

Rams offense: overall (15), rush (24), pass (10), scoring (20).

Rams defense: overall (26), rush (22), pass (20), scoring (17).

Turnover differential: Texans plus-10; Rams plus-6.

Texans player to watch

Four-time Pro Bowl RB Nick Chubb will be tasked with leading Houston’s rushing attack early this season with starter Joe Mixon out for at least the first four games with a foot injury he suffered this offseason. Chubb looks to return to form in his first season with the Texans after playing just 10 games combined in the past two seasons while dealing with various injuries. Before his injuries, Chubb had four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Browns, capped by a career-high 1,525 yards in the 2022 season.

Rams player to watch

QB Matthew Stafford missed most of the preseason because of a sore back, but the Super Bowl winner is ready to start his 17th season in the NFL and fifth with the Rams. He threw for 3,762 yards and 20 touchdowns against eight touchdowns in helping Los Angeles win the NFC West in 2024 before adding 533 yards and four scores without a pick in the playoffs, coming up short in a 28-22 NFC divisional round loss to the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Key matchup

Texans LT Aireontae Ersery vs. Rams OLB Jared Verse. Ersery will start as a rookie after being drafted in the second round, and the Minnesota product will be immediately tested against one of the top young pass rushers in the NFL. Verse had 77 pressures and 56 hurries to earn AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, but there is still plenty of room for improvement after finishing with 4 1/2 sacks.

Key injuries

Texans S C.J. Gardner-Johnson is expected to play Sunday after recovering from a knee injury he sustained Aug. 7. … T Cam Robinson is good to go after missing practice Wednesday with an illness. … WRs Christian Kirk and Braxton Berrios both have been ruled out this week with hamstring injuries. … Rams LT Alaric Jackson is on track to start after a recurrence of blood clots kept him out of practice for all of training camp and much of the preseason. Jackson, who signed a three-year, $57 million contract in February, missed the last nine games of the 2022 season because of blood clots.

Series notes

Los Angeles has scored at least 33 points in each of its four wins over Houston. … The Rams have won three straight against the Texans, including both meetings since moving back to Los Angeles in 2016. … This will be Houston’s first visit to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. They lost 33-7 to the Rams in the Los Angeles Memorial Stadium in 2017 and beat the Chargers 27-20 in Carson, California, in 2019.

Stats and stuff

Houston QB C.J. Stroud had 3,727 yards passing with 20 TD passes last season to become one of seven QBs in NFL history with at least 3,500 yards passing and 20 TD passes in each of his first two seasons. … RB Dameon Pierce had a career-high 176 yards rushing in Houston’s regular-season finale last season. … WR Nico Collins had 68 receptions for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns last season despite missing five games with injuries. He had 55 yards receiving in his previous game against the Rams. … TE Dalton Schultz had 53 catches for 532 yards last season and joins Travis Kelce as the only tight ends with at least 50 catches and 500 yards receiving in each of the past five seasons. … DE Danielle Hunter lad the Texans with 12 sacks and 17 tackles for losses last season. It was his fifth season with at least 12 sacks. … DE Will Anderson Jr. had 11 sacks and 16 tackles for losses — both career highs — last season. He and Hunter were one of two pairs of teammates to each have at least 11 sacks last season. … DT Tim Settle had a career-high 10 tackles for losses with five sacks last year. … LB Henry To’oTo’o led the team with a career-best 104 tackles in 2024. … CB Derek Stingley ranked second in the NFL with a career-high 18 passes defensed and had five interceptions last season. … S C.J. Gardner-Johnson is set to make his Houston debut after grabbing six interceptions for the Eagles last season. … S Calen Bullock led all rookies with five interceptions last season. … Matthew Stafford needs 191 yards passing to become the 10th quarterback in NFL history with 60,000 yards. If he reaches the milestone against the Texans, Stafford would tie Matt Ryan (223) as needing the second-fewest games to do so. Drew Brees got there in 215 games. … The other members of the 60,000-yard club are Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers and Dan Marino. … WR Davante Adams will make his Rams debut after signing a two-year, $44 million contract in March. He has had at least 1,000 yards receiving and eight touchdown catches in each of the past five seasons. … WR Puka Nacua averaged 90 yards receiving per game last season, which was third in the NFL behind Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase (100.5) and Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson (90.2). However, Nacua came up 10 yards short of a second straight 1,000-yard season after missing five games because of a knee injury and sitting out a meaningless Week 18 game. … RT Rob Havenstein will make his 142nd start, breaking a tie with WR Henry Ellard for ninth most in Rams history. … RB Kyren Williams has 26 rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns over the past two seasons, tying Detroit RB Jahmyr Gibbs for most scores from scrimmage in that span.

Fantasy tip

Kyren Williams has been quick out of the gates over the previous two seasons, including scoring in six straight games to open 2024, and seems likely to get into the end zone to start off this season. He has five total touchdowns in his past two home openers, with Rams coach Sean McVay always ready to feature Williams as a runner and receiver inside the red zone.

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