Rams Week One Opponent Loses Pro Bowl Playmaker

The Los Angeles Rams won't be seeing one of the Texans' top stars during the NFL's opening Sunday, which is good news for the Rams' defense.

Aug 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Houston Texans helmet sits on the sidelines during the 4th quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams will be somewhat familiar with their week one opponent, the Houston Texans. The Texans, coached by former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, hired former Rams tight ends coach Nick Caley to reinvent their offense around quarterback C.J. Stround.

On that offense are rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel from Iowa State. Both players played under Rams assistant Nate Scheelhaase when Scheelhaase was Iowa State's offensive coordinator.

Despite all the familiarity, there's one familiar face the Rams will not see, and that is running back Joe Mixon. Mixon, a two-time Pro Bowl running back who threw a touchdown against the Rams in Super Bowl LVI. Mixon has spent the preseason dealing with an ankle injury, and with roster cutdown day scheduled for Tuesday, the Texans were forced to place him on the Reserve/ NFI list.

"Texans are not activating running back Joe Mixon by Tuesday’s 4 pm ET deadline, making him ineligible to play at least the first four games this season due to an ankle injury," reported ESPN's NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Monday afternoon. "Mixon will be moved to Reserve/Non-Football Injury, which automatically rules him out for at least four games."

What does this mean for the Rams

Caley, who helped the Rams reinvent their rushing attack, will likely rely upon Nick Chubb to carry the load. Other running backs on the roster as of writing are Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale, Woody Marks, British Brooks, and Jawhar Jordan.

Chubb, the Cleveland Browns' best running back this century, has overcome injuries throughout his career, signing with the Texans this offseason.

I asked Sean McVay about what having Caley on the opposing team means and how that affects game planning after Monday's practice. This is what he had to say.

“I think that's pretty consistent with every team now almost," stated McVay. "We have guys that are a lot of different places every single year that presents challenges. I think for us, we've got to do a good job of not overthinking some things. You might know it, but when are you going to do those types of things?"

Aug 16, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay (left) talks with wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"I think those narratives are fun. There's certain standard stuff that they might know that we have to be mindful of, some of the verbiage at the line of scrimmage or maybe your cadence, but I think you can sometimes get a little bit of a paralysis by analysis if you overthink those things. It’s still going to be about executing and playing to the best of our ability one snap at a time.”

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