Two teams with playoff aspirations open at SoFi as Houston visits the Rams on Sunday. The matchup sets up as pass-forward vs balanced: Houston leaned pass last year (about 55% of early-down plays) while Los Angeles was closer to balanced.

Protection could decide a lot early. The Rams kept their quarterback cleaner (about a 6% sack rate on dropbacks) while Houston’s offense allowed pressure more often (about 9%). That tilts the pocket in L.A.’s favor if the game script stays neutral.

On early downs, the Rams graded stronger (top-10 success) and the Texans allowed a lower rate, giving L.A. a small but real efficiency edge to stay ahead of the sticks. Houston’s run game was volatile with a high stuff rate, so staying on schedule may require quick-game and RPOs.

Houston’s secondary is banged up: multiple safeties are out and C.J. Gardner-Johnson is questionable. That nudges L.A.’s pass game outlook, though the Rams’ defense has its own holes against explosive passes. Expect both teams to look for chunk gains off play action and field position to matter.

Note: All team stats for the week 1 games are from 2024