Texans Defense Stifles Rams in 24-20 Preseason Loss
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Coming off of an exciting win in their first outing of the preseason, the Los Angeles Rams remained at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to host the up-and-coming Houston Texans, and new head coach, Lovie Smith.
Unfortunately for the Rams, they were unable to replicate that magic, falling 24-20 to Houston, and moving to 1-1 in the preseason.
From the opening kick, it was a difficult outing for the Rams, who, with their offensive line struggling, were under constant fire from the Texans' pass rush, resulting in six sacks for the game, five of which came in the first half.
In his first start of the preseason, backup quarterback John Wolford caught the majority of that Houston heat, going down for all five of the first-half sacks.
Still, despite facing that pressure, Wolford impressed, completing 14 of 22 passes for 142 yards, while showing off his underrated mobility and avoiding at least a handful of additional sacks from the Texans along the way.
In the second half, it was Game 1 hero Bryce Perkins' turn to take over under center, with many fans excited to see what he would bring for his second outing.
And It was a valiant effort from the 25-year-old completing 11 of 13 passes for 124 yards, while also utilizing his legs to evade the persistent Texans pass rush, and help give the Rams a late 20-17 fourth-quarter lead.
Another bright spot for the Rams was undrafted free agent wideout Lance McCutcheon, who continued to demonstrate his chemistry with Perkins, hauling in five passes for 98 yards on six targets.
As a team, the Rams amassed 277 total yards of offense, with 231 coming through the air and just 46 coming on the ground while giving up 274 on the other end to the Texans.
Following the loss, the Rams will finally leave the friendly confines of SoFi Stadium for the first time this preseason for their dress rehearsal next Saturday night when they head east for a Super Bowl rematch with the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.
After that, the gloves come off, and the regular season begins.
You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan
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