Texans Stun Chargers With Defensive Gem, Advance To Divisional Round

The Houston Texans weren't particularly good in the second half of the season. They were just 4-5 after a 6-2 start, and looked like a team that was lucky to play in the weak AFC South.

The Houston Texans had a disappointing second half of the season, going 4-5 after a 6-2 start. They looked fortunate to be in the weak AFC South.

But the Texans will be one of the final eight teams standing in this NFL season.

Houston had a fantastic defensive game, C.J. Stroud made a few big plays to overcome some of the Texans’ offensive mistakes and Houston eliminated the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday with a 32-12 win.

The Chargers were still in the game before Houston’s consistent pressure forced Justin Herbert into his worst mistake of the day. He threw high to Ladd McConkey even though he wasn’t under much pressure, it was picked off by Eric Murray and returned 38 yards for a touchdown. That play gave Houston a 20-6 lead and practically put the game away because a sleepwalking Chargers offense wasn’t going to overcome that deficit.

Herbert threw four interceptions and was sacked four times in a nightmare game. Herbert threw three interceptions the entire regular season.

Houston had a huge breakthrough last season and was predicted to do even more this season. It didn’t work out quite that way, but the Texans had an impressive playoff performance to stay alive.

Chargers stumble often vs. Texans

The Chargers were off to a fast start. They had a solid opening drive downfield, though it stalled and they settled for a field goal. Right after that Derwin James Jr. forced a fumble and the Chargers were in Texans territory again.

That’s about when the Texans' defense dug in. The Chargers got only a field goal out of that possession, and it would be a long time before they scored again. The Texans' pass rush controlled the game. Herbert played well late in the season but was horrible on Saturday. A bad pass that Kamari Lassiter picked off downfield, one play after the Chargers picked off Stroud in Texans territory, was a big turning point in the first half.

On a fourth-and-2 in the second half, the Chargers went for it and Quentin Johnston ran a route short of the first-down marker against All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. The pass was incomplete but Johnston would have been well short anyway, due to Stingley playing it perfectly. Every time the Chargers faced a big situation, the Texans outperformed them.

The Texans' defense played like it had to make some big plays to make up for a struggling offense, and it accomplished that.

Even though the Chargers’ mistakes were keeping the Texans in the game, Houston’s mistakes were keeping Los Angeles in the game as well. Joe Mixon lost a fumble on an ill-timed trick play. He was clearly looking to pass but tucked it when nobody was open and was stripped. It was his first lost fumble in 1,082 touches. The Texans seemed to throw an interception into the end zone, which would have been their fourth turnover, but replay showed that James didn’t catch it. Houston got lucky, and salvaged a field goal.

The Texans led 13-6 after that, and the defense made sure that lead held up.

2 INTs put game away

The Chargers still had hope but two Herbert's interceptions ruined any hopes of winning.

The first pick was on Herbert. He seemed worried about the pass rush even though he wasn’t under much pressure, double-clutched and threw a bad pass to McConkey. That was returned for a touchdown by Murray and put the Chargers in a big hole.

The second pick was the fault of tight end Will Dissly. His second bad drop of the game was picked off by Stingley and returned deep into Chargers territory. A field goal put Houston up 23-6.

The Texans had run hot and cold on defense all season, but they were good Saturday. The Chargers focused on building a strong offensive line, but the Texans got the best of it. Herbert was terrible when he was pressured, and sometimes even when he was just worried about the pressure that wasn’t quite there yet. An 86-yard touchdown to McConkey, after the Texans had already taken control of the game, made Herbert's day look a lot better. Even that play turned into a blooper, as the Chargers had the extra point blocked, kicker Cameron Dicker tried to knock it down — clearly not understanding it was still a live ball — and got hit hard after he did. The Texans picked up the loose ball and returned it for 2 points.

That summed up the game. The Chargers seemed oddly ill-prepared for their postseason opener. Houston wasn’t always great, particularly on offense, but got the win. The Texans haven't had the season they were hoping for, but they still can make it a memorable one. If the defense keeps making plays like it did Saturday, they have a chance.