Preseason losses are obviously much easier to swallow than regular-season defeats, knowing the record that matters still sits at 0-0. But even though the Rams’ starters aren’t playing, Sean McVay wants to see his players executing the game plan and playing clean football.
That just didn’t happen on Friday night when the Rams hosted the Texans, a game they lost 24-20. The offense took a while to get going, and the defense allowed three touchdowns, including the game-winner with about a minute left in the game.
Here’s what we learned from the Week 2 loss by the Rams, who have one preseason game left next weekend.
Rams better hope starting O-line can stay healthy
The Rams have a lot of bodies on their offensive line, but not all of them are capable of being starters in the NFL. Against the Texans, the Rams’ backup line really struggled to block a pass-rush unit that doesn’t exactly ooze talent.
Logan Bruss gave up two sacks before exiting with a knee injury, Bobby Evans got beat a few times at right tackle and Jeremiah Kolone allowed free rushers up the middle twice after there appeared to be some miscommunication.
The Rams have to hope their starting offensive line stays healthy all season because the backups – aside from maybe A.J. Jackson and A.J. Arcuri – have not impressed very much in the preseason.
Cobie Durant is going to have a key role on defense
Durant played more on Friday night than he did in the opener against the Chargers, and he looked even better than he did in his debut, too. Durant forced a fumble on the opening drive, recorded a sack on the Texans’ second possession and nearly pulled in an interception during Houston’s final drive of the first half.
He was constantly around the ball, a great sign for the rookie cornerback. His instincts and awareness were on full display, which are two traits the Rams loved about him in the draft. It’s going to be really tough to keep Durant off the field this season, whether it’s as a starting cornerback or an immediate backup.
Brycen Hopkins making strong case to be TE2
Hopkins and Kendall Blanton are battling to be Tyler Higbee’s backup at tight end, and both played in the second preseason game on Friday night. It was Hopkins who made the bigger impact against Houston, catching all six of his targets for 41 yards.
He looked very comfortable as a receiver and even though his longest reception was 11 yards, he was productive for Wolford in the first half. He’s making a strong case to be the Rams’ TE2, getting more opportunities than Kendall Blanton when they go with two-TE sets.
Bryce Perkins provides a spark for the offense
The Rams’ offense couldn’t do much against the Texans in the first half when John Wolford was at quarterback, though it wasn’t completely his fault. He had very little time in the pocket, Landen Akers dropped a pass that would’ve gone for a nice gain and the rushing attack got nothing going to complement him.
But when Perkins came in, the Rams used his athleticism and mobility to move the pocket and keep the Texans pass rush off-balance. Perkins used his legs to pick up positive yardage multiple times, and when he did drop back and throw, he was accurate and sharp – for the most part.
The Rams are going to have a hard time cutting him if they see a bright future for the young quarterback, even if it means they have to keep him as the No. 3 guy for a second straight year.
Penalties prove costly
The Rams ran a pretty clean operation in their win over the Chargers last week, committing only two penalties for 10 yards. They were a little bit sloppier on Friday night against the Texans, however. The Rams were called for seven penalties which accounted for 101 yards, giving the Texans too many free chances.
The costliest penalty came late in the game when Tyler Hall was called for defensive pass interference, which accounted for 46 yards and set up the Texans at the Rams’ 12-yard line with 1:53 to play. That ultimately led to the game-winning touchdown, even if it was somewhat of a soft call.
The Rams just can’t afford to beat themselves, and hopefully the starters are better about it come Week 1.
Miscues plague the offense
As tough as the penalties were to swallow, the offense on its own had far too many miscues. Wolford just flat-out dropped the ball after taking the snap on first-and-10, which set the Rams up with second-and-15, ultimately leading to a punt. A.J. Rose fumbled a handoff on third-and-1 in the second half, one play before the Rams were forced to punt.
The offensive line had a couple of plays where there was a miscommunication, leading free rushers to come at Wolford in the pocket. Lance Akers dropped a fairly easy pass in the first half that would’ve picked up a nice chunk of yardage, too.
And at the end of the game, Lance McCutcheon did a nice job to get open for a 27-yard gain, but he failed to get out of bounds with a few seconds left to set up what would’ve been a potential Hail Mary at the end of the game.
There were simply too many mistakes like those that prevented the offense from getting the job done.
Special teams made the play of the night
The biggest play of the night came on special teams when Duron Lowe forced a fumble on punt coverage, which was exactly the turning point the Rams needed. The loose ball was scooped up by Roger Carter Jr. and returned for a touchdown, keeping the Rams in the game after they fell behind, 14-6.
The Rams’ special teams unit was much improved last year under Joe DeCamillis and it should continue to get better this season in his second year as the cooardinator.
