Houston Texans vs Los Angeles Rams Matchup

In this week 3 NFL pre-season preview between Rams and Texans, see who like to win the game and cover the spread.

The Rams are 2-0 in the pre-season and will face the Texans, who are 2-1, on Saturday, August 24th at 1:00 ET. The Texans are the heavy favorite with money line odds of -279, and they are -6.5 point favorites. The game is being played at NRG Stadium in Houston, and the over/under line is set at 34.5 points. There is no TV coverage for this non-conference matchup.

Rams vs. Texans Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NFL
Teams: Los Angeles Rams at Houston Texans
Where: Houston at NRG Stadium
Date: Saturday, August 24th
Betting Odds HOU -6.5, LAR +224 | HOU -279 O/U 34.5

Rams Preview:

Despite trailing 9-3 at one point, the Rams came back to win 13-9, improving to 2-0 in the pre-season. The Rams were +3.5 point underdogs going into the game, and their straight-up win also resulted in an ATS win. The game had a low-scoring first half, with the Rams and Chargers tied at 3 after the 1st quarter and the Chargers leading 6-3 at halftime.

The Rams took the lead in the 3rd quarter with a touchdown pass from Stetson Bennett to Nikola Kalinic. After the Chargers added a field goal in the 4th, the Rams sealed the win with a touchdown from JJ Laap with 9:56 remaining in the 4th and another touchdown from Boston Scott with 2 minutes left. The combined 22 points were well below the total line of 33.5 points.

Rams Offense Breakdown

Stetson Bennett, the Rams' quarterback, threw for 213 yards on 17 completions in their 13-9 win over the Chargers. The Rams' offense finished with 16 first downs and 213 total yards. Bennett completed 54.8% of his passes and threw one touchdown, while also throwing one interception. The running game saw Zach Evans lead the way with 62 yards on 16 attempts.

Jordan Whittington was the leading receiver for the Rams, with 52 yards on five catches. The Rams' offense struggled to move the ball consistently, finishing with a 6.9 yards per attempt. They also had a 46.7% third-down conversion rate and allowed one sack.

Rams Team Defense

In their 13-9 win over the Chargers, the Rams' defense allowed just 15 first downs and limited them to 99 rushing yards on 27 attempts. The Rams gave up only 160 yards passing on 33 attempts, with 2 sacks and an interception. They held the Chargers to a 4.8 yards per attempt and kept them out of the end zone in the passing game.

Los Angeles also defended well on third downs, allowing the Chargers to convert only 40% of their third down attempts. They finished the game with a 63.6% completion rate against their defense. The Rams also won the turnover battle and led in QB hits.

Texans Preview:

Texans Offense Breakdown

In their 28-10 win over the Giants, the Texans' offense picked up 25 first downs and 255 yards passing on 38 attempts. Tim Boyle was the leading passer with 94 yards on 10 of 15 completions, and J.J. Taylor led the team in rushing with 36 yards on five attempts. The Texans' running game gained 114 yards on 32 attempts, with Taylor averaging 7.2 yards per attempt.

Houston's offense didn't allow any sacks in the game and converted 53.8% of their third down attempts. John Metchie III was the top receiver, with 68 yards and one touchdown.

Texans Offense Breakdown

In their 28-10 win over the Giants, the Texans' offense finished with 25 first downs and 255 yards passing. They also ran for 114 yards on 32 attempts. Tim Boyle was the leading passer, going 10/15 for 94 yards, while J.J. Taylor led the team in rushing with 36 yards and John Metchie III led in receiving with 68 yards and a touchdown.

Houston's offense didn't allow a sack in the game and converted 53.8% of their third down attempts. Boyle didn't throw any interceptions and had a passer rating of 83. Taylor averaged 7.2 yards per attempt on the ground, with his longest run being 18 yards. Metchie III's touchdown reception was an 18-yard score.

Texans Team Defense

The Texans' defense came away with two interceptions in their most recent game, helping the team to a 28-10 win over the Giants. Houston's secondary limited the Giants to 205 passing yards on 37 attempts, not allowing a touchdown through the air. Overall, the Texans gave up just 16 first downs and 279 total yards to the Giants.

On the ground, the Giants managed only 74 rushing yards on 22 attempts. Houston defended the run well, allowing just 3.4 yards per attempt. Although they only had one sack, the Texans pressured the quarterback and capitalized on five takeaways in the game.

Rams vs Texans Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Through their last ten road contests, the Rams offense has averaged 23 points per game while allowing an average of 23. Los Angeles posted an overall record of 5-5 while going 7-3 ATS.
Houston has played well in their previous three home games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 17 points per game while allowing 23. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Rams have gone 3-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-4.
Going back to their previous ten games as the favorite, Houston has an ATS mark of 3-7 while going 5-5 straight up.