NFL Preseason Week 2 Game Recap: Houston Texans 24, Los Angeles Rams 20

Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Jeff Driskel (6) is pressured by Los Angeles Rams linebacker Keir Thomas (96) as he looks to throw a pass in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

For the second straight week, the Houston Texans won on a game-winning drive led by Jeff Driskel, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 24-20 in SoFi Stadium. 

Editor’s note: All grades in this article are subject to review. All PFF player grades will be finalized by 12 pm ET tomorrow.


HOUSTON TEXANS

QUARTERBACK

Player Comp/Att Yds YPA TD/INT Rtg
Davis Mills 10/17 96 5.6 1/0 94.2
Kyle Allen 9/12 71 5.9 1/0 117.0
Jeff Driskel 3/3 17 5.7 1/0 129.9
  • Second-year quarterback Davis Mills played the entire first half and went 10-for-17 for 96 yards and a touchdown. 
  • Kyle Allen relieved him after missing last week due to COVID-19. He looked impressive, completing 75% of his passes for 71 yards, a touchdown and a 117.0 passer rating. 
  • Jeff Driskel’s only series of the night was a crucial one. He completed all three of his passes for 17 yards and the game-winning touchdown with 1:05 left. 

RUNNING BACK

  • After a phenomenal showing last week, rookie Dameon Pierce didn’t see any action this week as the fourth-rounder has all but locked up the starting job.
  • Royce Freeman made plays on the ground and through the air. He recorded 30 rushing yards and 23 yards after contact on seven carries while catching two passes for 23 yards.

RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS

  • Second-year receiver Nico Collins led the way for the Texans with four catches from six targets for 48 yards, a touchdown and three first downs. 
  • The other touchdown was a six-yarder caught by rookie tight end Teagan Quitoriano. It was the fifth-rounder’s only catch of the night. 
  • The game-winner was scored by veteran tight end Mason Schreck, who finished with two catches for 13 yards and a touchdown.

OFFENSIVE LINE

  • Texans fans will have to wait at least another week to see No. 15 overall pick Kenyon Green, who just recently returned to practice after having offseason knee surgery and a concussion.
  • In his absence, the Texans allowed two sacks and three pressures on 32 pass-blocking snaps.

DEFENSIVE LINE

  • Jonathan Greenard will be relied on this year to be one of Houston’s main pressure generators. He looked good against Los Angeles with a sack and two pressures on just 11 pass-blocking snaps. 

LINEBACKER

  • Kamu Grugier-Hill had a strong night in coverage with two catches allowed on three targets for seven yards. 

SECONDARY

  • Derek Stingley Jr. made his highly-anticipated debut after missing last week while recovering from his foot injury. The No. 3 overall pick was targeted twice on 12 coverage snaps and allowed one catch for 22 yards while forcing an incompletion. 

LOS ANGELES RAMS

QUARTERBACK

Player Comp/Att Yds YPA TD/INT Rtg
John Wolford 14/22 142 6.5 0/0 82.0
Bryce Perkins 11/13 124 9.5 0/0 106.4
  • John Wolford started since Matthew Stafford is resting with an elbow injury. He played the entire first half and completed 14 of his 22 passes for 142 yards. 
  • Bryce Perkins took over for the second half and had an efficient night. 
  • He completed 85% of his passes for 124 yards. 

RUNNING BACK

  • The Rams didn’t have much of a ground game to speak of. They had just
  • Second-year running back Trey Ragas scored the team’s only offensive touchdown and had 14 yards on six carries.

RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS

  • Undrafted rookie Lance McCutcheon was the star last week with six catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns. He furthered his case for a roster spot this week with a team-leading 98 yards on five catches.

OFFENSIVE LINE

  • The Rams offensive line had a rough night, allowing six sacks and 14 pressures on 39 pass-blocking snaps.
  • Rookie Logan Bruss, in particular, struggled. The third-round pick allowed two sacks on just 15 pass-blocking snaps before leaving the game with a knee injury. This comes after an abysmal 1.7 pass-blocking grade last week.

DEFENSIVE LINE

  • The Rams defensive line didn’t have too much success with just an 11% pressure rate, but Jonah Williams was able to come up with a sack on one of his 22 pass-rushing snaps. 

LINEBACKER

  • Undrafted rookie Jake Hummel had a good night with seven tackles and an 82.4 grade on first review.

SECONDARY

  • Surprisingly, the Rams’ only other sack of the night came from the secondary. Rookie Cobie Durant got home on his only pass-rushing snap of the night. The fourth-rounder was also targeted twice and allowed one catch for 17 yards and had a forced incompletion.
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