Rams make statement with defense 

(News4usOnline) – Three field goals. That’s all the Houston Texans got. The defense of the Los Angeles Rams didn’t waste time making a statement against the Texans. 

In the team’s home and season opener against the visiting Texans, the Rams pulled the welcome mat from under quarterback CJ Stroud and the Houston offense to come away with a 14-9 win.   

“We did everything we thought we were going do, at least in the passing game,” Stroud said. “They had the fronts we thought they were going to have and we ID’ed correctly. I think I missed one or two and those are the points in the game, so I got to do a better job of being in control up there and helping those guys out to get the IDs correct.” 

The final numbers from the game that was played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, suggest it was a dominant performance put on by the Rams. 

Stroud is one of the young great passers in the NFL, but the Rams loaded up the pressure against the third-year quarterback. Stroud completed 19 of 27 passes for 188 yards and was sacked multiple times.

The defensive front seven of the Rams had a big say in limiting what the Texans could do offensively. Houston managed to convert just 2 of 9 opportunities on third down. 

During a Zoom call, Rams head coach Sean McVay talked about his defensive front’s ability to bottle up Stroud from doing too much damage with his arm and legs. 

“That was huge,” McVay said. “What I think is really cool about it is, we were really efficient on early downs that put them in second and eight plus a lot. They were in some third and really long situations where you really feel like you have the pen from a defensive perspective. I thought there were some great plays that C.J. [Stroud] made where we can even be better where we lost the edge on containing and he ran for it. He spun out on one and ended up finding a completion. I was really pleased with our group as a whole.” 

LA’s defense didn’t stop at just containing Stroud. Nico Collins, Houston’s top receiver and Stroud’s go-to playmaker, was held to three catches for 25 yards. Stroud failed to lead Houston to any points after halftime. The Texans did not score a touchdown in the game. 

To punctuate the effort of the defensive unit all game long, linebacker Nate Landman forced a fumble late in the fourth quarter to seal the first win of the season for the Rams. 

“I’ll tell you what’s cool about it. We always talk about practice, performance and preparation equaling game reality and that’s what this guy’s done,” McVay said after Sunday’s win. “He has gotten more punch outs than anybody. He has a great feel for it. He’s so intentional and I think it’s rubbed off on the rest of the group. He got it at a critical time. You talk about competitive greatness and that was on display.”

This is only the second year that Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and Jared Verse have all played together on the defensive front for the Rams. Collectively, they play together like well-seasoned veterans who bring continuity to a new season.

“I think that every single year you earn the right,” McVay said. “There’s so much time in between, but I think these guys are accumulating… We might be a young front, but we’re an experienced front. They’ve gotten a bunch of experience in a short amount of time. Whether it’s guys going into year two, guys going into year three, or [Nose Tackle] Poona Ford coming in and has played a lot of football. We have a lot of guys that have played a lot of meaningful football across the front.”

Featured Image: Inglewood, CA – Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner (91) and edge rushers Jared Verse (8) and Byron Young (0) put pressure on Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud (7) in a 14-9 win at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 7, 2025. Photo credit: Mark Hammond / News4usOnline