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SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.) — The Houston Texans punched their ticket to the postseason with a defense-led, 20-16 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday at SoFi Stadium.
The Texans improved to 11-5 with the win, their eighth straight. Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans became the sixth head coach since 2000 to make the playoffs in each of his first three seasons, joining John Harbaugh, Jim Harbaugh, Chuck Pagano, Matt LaFleur and Nick Sirianni in accomplishing that feat.
The Chargers had already clinched a postseason berth in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2006-2009 seasons. But the loss snapped their four-game winning streak, clinched the AFC West division title for the Denver Broncos (13-3) and dropped L.A. to the 7-seed. The Chargers’ loss also eliminated the Indianapolis Colts (8-7) from postseason consideration.
Here are my takeaways.
1. C.J. Stroud creates big plays early against the usually stingy Chargers’ defense
Entering the game, the Chargers boasted one of the NFL‘s best defenses at containing explosive plays. However, Texans quarterback Stroud found rookie receiver Jayden Higgins for a 75-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the game, then connected with fellow rookie Jaylin Noel for a 43-yard score, giving the Texans a two-touchdown lead they never relinquished. Both receivers went untouched into the end zone.
Entering Saturday’s contest, the Chargers had given up just 32 passing plays of 20-plus yards, No. 2 in the NFL. L.A.’s 14 passing touchdowns allowed were also No. 2 in the league.
Stroud finished with 244 passing yards and two scores.
2. Chargers fail to capitalize on momentum-changing plays
The Texans dominated the Chargers in a convincing victory last postseason and appear to have the Bolts’ number again as Los Angeles failed to take advantage of a handful of big plays.
Down 14-0 midway through the second quarter, Los Angeles Pro Bowl safety Derwin James hauled in an interception on a Stroud pass tipped by defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand. The Chargers, however, had to settle for a Cameron Dicker 27-yard field goal.
Also in the first half, receiver Quentin Johnston caught a 60-yard pass from Chargers QB Justin Herbert, but on the next play, rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden had a pass bounce off his hands and into the open arms of Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. Gadsden had two big drops on the day but did catch a touchdown pass in the second half.
Stroud threw his second interception late in the first half, this one to Los Angeles safety Elijah Molden, but the Chargers came away empty-handed as Dicker, statistically the most accurate kicker in NFL history, missed a 32-yard field goal.
Dicker also missed an extra point in the final minutes that would have brought the Chargers to within a field goal.
3. Chargers (again) fail to protect franchise QB Justin Herbert
In the Chargers’ 2024 wild-card loss at Houston, Herbert had a career-worst 43.8 completion percentage and four interceptions. It’s his only career NFL or college game with at least three interceptions and a completion percentage below 45%. He had just three interceptions the entire 2024 season before throwing those four picks in the wild-card loss.
On Saturday, Herbert once again struggled against Houston’s dominant defense. He was sacked five times and threw for just 236 yards, with one touchdown pass and an interception for an 84.9 passer rating. Per Next Gen Stats, Herbert was pressured on 38.1% of his snaps.
Due to injuries, the Chargers’ have played 21 different offensive line combinations this season and have struggled to keep Herbert upright. Entering the game, he had been sacked a career-high 49 times, hit a league-high 121 times and pressured a season-high 252 times.
4. Houston’s defense will be the scariest to face in the postseason
The Texans are dangerous on defense because they can get pressure with just four defenders rushing the passer and have talented defenders on all three levels. That will make them the toughest defense to face this postseason.
Entering Saturday’s contest, Houston was No. 1 in scoring defense (16.6 points per game) and total yards allowed (272.3) yards per game. The Texans continued that elite performance against the Chargers, holding L.A.’s offense to 16 points and 275 total yards.
With defensive ends Danielle Hunter (14 sacks) and Will Anderson Jr. (12.0) applying the pressure, linebacker Al-Shaair patrolling the middle of the field, and one of the best cornerback tandems in the league in Kamari Lassiter and Derek Stingley smothering receivers, the Texans will be a force to be reckoned with in the postseason.
4 ½. What’s next?
The Texans host the Colts, with a chance to still win the AFC South for a third straight season, depending on what happens between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Chargers will hit the road to face the Denver Broncos in a game that could impact the AFC’s No. 1 seed in the final week of the regular season.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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