Matthew Stafford and his balky back to be tested in opener when Rams face Texans’ imposing defense
Matthew Stafford and his balky back to be tested in opener when Rams face Texans’ imposing defense
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Matthew Stafford missed nearly a month of the Los Angeles Rams’ training camp with an aggravated disk in his back, and Alaric Jackson only joined practice this week after being sidelined for the whole summer with blood clots.
The quarterback and his left tackle are healthy for the regular season, but they’ll get no warmup before facing the Houston Texans and their potentially dominant defense Sunday.
If Stafford hadn’t already seen and done just about everything in his 17-year career, he might seem a bit more stressed about the high degree of difficulty under which he’ll take his first snaps of the season. While Houston pass rushers Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter are elite, the Texans also finished second in the league in interceptions last year.
“I’ve got a ton of respect for them,” said Stafford, who needs 191 yards passing to become the 10th quarterback to throw for 60,000 yards. “I’m going to go play the game. Whatever happens, happens. I’m playing like I always play. I have no issues with a physical game. Obviously, I would love to stay as clean as possible, but I’m not thinking twice about that at all.”
Stafford also will get his first chance to throw to new receiver Davante Adams in this meeting of 2024 division champions.
Meanwhile, the Rams’ defensive coaching staff is scheming against a familiar face: Nick Caley, Los Angeles’ tight ends coach last season, will debut as the Texans’ offensive coordinator after spending the past two years under Sean McVay, who is 6-2 in openers.
Stroud’s homecoming
C.J. Stroud is playing in his native Southern California for the first time since he passed for 573 yards and six touchdowns while leading Ohio State to victory in the spectacular 2022 Rose Bowl. The third-year quarterback grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, roughly an hour east of downtown in the vast Los Angeles metroplex.
“I’ve got some family coming to the game, and friends,” Stroud said. “Super excited, but just got to stay focused.”
Protecting Stroud
Stroud also faces a challenge from the Rams’ vaunted defensive line, led by Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. The Texans revamped their offensive line after Stroud was sacked 52 times last season, second-most in the league.
Houston traded longtime left tackle Laremy Tunsil to Washington, and right tackle Tytus Howard is the only returning starter. The Texans will rely on second-round pick Aireontae Ersery to protect Stroud’s blind side after he started 38 games at left tackle over three seasons at Minnesota.
Coach DeMeco Ryans wasn’t in the mood to answer questions on Wednesday about the group.
“Everybody wants to know who’s going out there, who is this guy at this position, that position,” he said. “It’s just a lot of talk that I’m, quite frankly, tired of talking about. It’s time to go play and let’s see how our five matches up against a really great defensive line.”
Few new
The Rams are not expected to have a rookie starter, and it’s likely that only two new starters will debut at SoFi Stadium alongside Adams and center Coleman Shelton, who returned after one season away. Veteran Poona Ford takes over at nose tackle, and Nate Landman is the Rams’ starting inside linebacker and defensive signal-caller.
Filling in
Nick Chubb will be Houston’s running back for at least the first four weeks with Joe Mixon on the reserve/non-football injury list with an offseason foot injury.
Chubb, a four-time Pro Bowler, looks to return to form in his first season with the Texans after playing just 10 games combined in the last two seasons while dealing with various injuries. Before that, Chubb had four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Browns, capped by a career-high 1,525 yards in 2022.
Ryans has raved about Chubb since he was signed this summer.
“Nick won’t surprise me in the game. I know what I’m going to get from Nick Chubb,” he said. “He’s a guy I’ve watched for a long time. He’s done it at a high level for a long time. … I expect to see a physical running back who’s going to gain positive yards every time he touches the football.”
Chubb’s backups include rookie Woody Marks, who rushed for 1,133 yards in an excellent season at Southern California last fall.
Mutual respect
McVay has faced Houston only twice previously in his career, and the Texans are visiting SoFi Stadium for the first time. But Ryans and McVay developed a healthy mutual respect during Ryans’ six seasons on San Francisco’s coaching staff, including two as the Niners’ defensive coordinator.
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AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
