The Los Angeles Rams staved off the Houston Texans to win the preseason finale Thursday night at NRG Stadium.
Rams quarterback John Wolford completed 8 of 15 for 105 yards and two touchdowns to lead Los Angeles past Houston. The was the other side of the coin from backup Brandon Allen’s performance, as the former Arkansas Razorback gave two gifts to the Texans defense with an interception picked off by linebacker Jesse Aniebonam and another interception from cornerback Jermaine Ponder.
Texans quarterback Joe Webb completed 19 passes on 29 attempts for 169 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Houston also played undrafted rookie free agent Jordan Ta’amu, and the Ole Miss product finished going 4-of-6 for 21 yards and an interception.
Undrafted rookie running back Karan Higdon had a team-high eight carries for the Texans, but produced 25 yards. Veteran running back Josh Ferguson had the team-high rushing yards for Texans running backs with 28 on three carries. Webb led all rushers with 30 yards on the ground on three attempts.
The Rams out-gained the Texans 344 to 259. Los Angeles also managed to produce 23 first downs to the Texans’ 14, and the Rams also went 5-of-12 on third down compared to Houston’s 4-of-13. The Texans were also penalized more with eight penalties for 71 yards compared to six of 59.
Before the game, the Texans had some favorable news as quarterback A.J. McCarron participated in pregame warm-ups. While he was in full uniform, the former Cincinnati Bengal and Oakland Raider did not play. McCarron missed all of preseason with a thumb injury on his throwing hand that forced him to wear a cast.
The Texans will begin their regular season campaign with a Monday night showdown at the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 9. The Rams open up their regular season on Sept. 8 at the Carolina Panthers, who used to be in the same division as the Rams from 1995-2001.
