The Houston Texans visit the Los Angeles Rams on Friday night for a preseason tilt in what could be a Super Bowl preview down the line.
Last year, the Houston Texans looked like they were on the brink of something special. Despite only being a .500 club, Deshaun Watson was lighting up opposing defenses, throwing for 19 touchdowns in seven games (six starts). The results were so encouraging, that some believed Houston a challenger to the New England patriots in the AFC.
Then, Watson tore his ACL in a practice, and everything went to shambles. The Texans only won one more game the rest of the year, finishing 4-12.
As for the Los Angeles Rams, absolutely nothing was expected from them. Los Angeles was coming off another dismal campaign, but 31-year-old head coach Sean McVay spearheaded a swift turnaround, culminating in an 11-win season and a division title. Now, the Rams and Texans are among the favorites to end up in Atlanta this February, playing in Super Bowl LIII.
TV: ABC (Houston) and CBS (Los Angeles)
Radio: 610 AM (Houston) and ESPN 710 (Los Angeles)
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Stream: NFL GamePass (subscription required) and FuboTV (free trial)
Los Angeles should have one of the better defenses going, with Ndamukong Suh, Aaron Donald, Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib at the forefront. Meanwhile, the Texans are hoping to have one of the better balanced rosters in the NFL, if only J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus and Watson can come back from injury and play up to expectations.