Despite a late comeback effort, the Houston Texans fell short of a Week 1 road victory to start their year off on a high note on Sunday, dropping a 9-14 loss in a defensive-focused, up-and-down performance against the Los Angeles Rams.
Here’s five big takeaways from the Texans’ season opener loss in SoFI Stadium:
Jul 24, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Dare Ogunbowale (33) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The Texans had two critical moments in the final five minutes of the game that put them within arm’s reach of taking a lead. An Azeez Al-Shaair forced fumble and a major roughing the passer call on Los Angeles had Houston in Rams’ territory following the two-minute warning.
Then, disaster struck, as Dare Ogunbowale would catch a pass for just over a five-yard gain that would be fumbled, recovered by the Rams, and wind up as the dagger for Houston, a turnover that was Ogunbowale’s second-ever fumble of his eight-year career.
The momentum was starting to build for this Texans’ offense after a turbulent day at the end of this one, but it would be a game-shifting turnover that turned the tide for the end result.
Sep 7, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) hands the ball off to Houston Texans running back Nick Chubb (21) during the first quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Leading up to Week 1, questions buzzed surrounding what this Texans’ backfield would look without Joe Mixon leading the way, and who could take charge as the number one runner on the depth chart.
That ended up being Nick Chubb, and while Ogunbowale was the running back to get that reception at the end of the game that inevitably sealed this Rams’ win, Chubb had 13 of 21 total carries in the Houston backfield.
The Texans’ offseason signing finished with 60 yards on the ground for over 4.3 yards a carry, and had a couple of big runs in the fourth quarter that helped Houston get within striking distance. Especially against a tough Rams defensive front, it’s hard to hate what Chubb put together in his Texans debut.
Sep 7, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) celebrate after Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) scored a touchtown during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
The biggest offensive star of the day was none other than Puka Nacua, hauling in 10 catches for 130 yards, capping things off with the first down catch at the end of the fourth, which iced the 1-0 start for Los Angeles.
The quietest offensive star of the day might’ve been Nico Collins, who had just three catches on five targets for 25 total yards, good for the fifth-most reception yards in the Texans’ pass catching group.
Collins likely won’t see many more weeks like this one moving forward, but nonetheless, it’s far from what we’ve been accustomed to seeing out of the Texans’ wideout in recent memory.
Sep 7, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Byron Young (0) sacks Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Perhaps the biggest storyline of the day for Houston and their 0-1 start was that of their offensive line calamities.
Houston entered the day already suffering from one injury in their starting offensive line in the form of right guard Ed Ingram. Those troubles would end up persisting into the day, with left tackle Cam Robinson and center Jake Andrews inevitably missing time throughout as well. The Texans were already dealing with huge changes up front, and three starters getting banged up certainly wasn’t helping.
In all, C.J. Stroud was sacked three times to lose 37 yards, had multiple plays of being under pressure, and the offensive line in front was flagged a handful of times, that did act as a gut punch on a few drives. It’s a long season where improvements will likely be made, but far from an ideal start for the Texans’ new look in the offensive trenches.
Sep 7, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans reacts during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
11 total penalties for 80 yards on the day for the Texans– that’s any coach’s worst nightmare, and especially so for DeMeco Ryans, who routinely harps on the importance of preparation for this Houston roster.
And a lot of those were faced on the offensive end: two illegal shifts, two false starts, and one holding call will certainly dig a hole for C.J. Stroud that you don’t want to see your starting quarterback have to climb out of.
It’s game one of a new season, so perhaps it’s just shaking the rust off from a long offseason where the operation isn’t quite as buttoned up. But if the Texans want to put consistent wins on the board moving forward, double-digit penalties in any game will make that task a lot tougher.