The Los Angeles Rams opened up their preseason slate with a “road” win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night. The two Los Angeles teams went blow-for-blow at SoFi Stadium, but a late Rams touchdown lifted them to a 29-22 victory.
The Rams had a few unknown players shine in their preseason opener. Second-year quarterback Bryce Perkins ran the offense well with 172 total yards and three total touchdowns. Rookie wideout Lance McCutcheon established himself as Perkins' favorite target with five catches for 87 yards and two scores.
With a win under its belt, Los Angeles turns its attention to Houston for its second preseason game. The Rams host the Houston Texans for their first true home game of the preseason on Friday night. The game is key for players developing and trying to make the roster, so let's look at what may happen.
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Los Angeles Rams Preseason Week 2 Predictions
4. The Rams force three turnovers
The Rams' stout defense looked relatively mortal against its in-city rival. The Chargers marched up and down the field for 312 total yards and just one turnover. To be fair, it is preseason and the Rams played none of their starters.
Even if the backups remain in, LA's defense should be in for a bounce-back game against Houston. The Texans surrendered three turnovers in their win over the New Orleans Saints, with all three being interceptions from quarterback Jeff Driskel. LA's defense should be salivating at going up against such an offense.
The Rams should have no trouble matching the Saints' output of turnovers from last week. If the team plays its starters for even a couple of series, then they could even force more than three takeaways.
3. John Wolford starts at QB
Matthew Stafford almost certainly won't see any playing time this preseason as he recovers from an elbow injury. That leaves Wolford and Perkins as LA's quarterbacks for the rest of the preseason. While Perkins performed well last week, Wolford should get his time to shine against Houston.
The third-year signal-caller is Stafford's primary backup, and the Rams want to make sure he remains sharp. Perkins may see action later in the game, but Wolford should get at least a few series to get back up to game speed.
2. A.J. Rose leads the team in rushing
LA struggled to run the ball in its preseason opener. When taking away Perkins' carries, the Rams had 27 carries for just 60 yards against the Chargers. They averaged just 2.2 yards per carry when excluding Perkins, and 3.1 when including him.
The Rams' ground game should take a step forward against the Texans, and Rose should play a big part in that. The second-year back from Kentucky had just eight carries for 19 yards, but he set himself apart from the other running backs by scoring a touchdown.
New Orleans ran the ball relatively effectively against Houston. The Saints ran for 130 yards and averaged 3.5 yards per carry last week, and the Rams should improve against a worse defense. Rose has the potential for a big game if he receives more carries this week.
1. The Rams “upset” the Texans
Predicting the Rams to beat the Texans may not be the most ambitious prediction. Still, LA is technically an underdog, as Houston is a two-point favorite according to FanDuel.
The Rams should be able to handle the Texans on Friday night. The Super Bowl champs played a very clean game against the Chargers, while the Texans played a sloppy game against the Saints. Such a performance may have been enough for Houston last week, but it won't be against the defending champs.
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