An inspired performance by CJ Stroud and a 38-yard pick-six by Eric Murray led the Houston Texans to a 32-12 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on wild card weekend and advanced to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
Stroud revitalized himself and the vanquished Texans toward the end of an error-strewn first half, starting a drive that ended with him throwing a touchdown pass to Nico Collins.
The Texans scored 23 unanswered points against the floundering Chargers, who saw quarterback Justin Herbert throw four interceptions and four sacks.
Herbert threw just three interceptions the entire regular season, and had never thrown more than two interceptions in a game until facing a Texans secondary led by cornerback Derek Stingley, who had two interceptions. Rookie Kamari Lassiter made the other choice.
Ladd McConkey’s incredible 86-yard touchdown threatened to spark a Chargers comeback late in the fourth quarter, but their hopes were dashed when Cameron Dicker’s extra point attempt was blocked and a 2-pointer was set up by Texans cornerback D’Angelo Ross. It is done.
statistics leader
Los Angeles Chargers
- passing: Justin Herbert, 14/32, 242 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT.
- rush: JK Dobbins, 9 carries, 26 yards.
- transmission: Ladd McConkey, 9 catches, 197 yards, 1 TD.
Houston Texans
- passing: CJ Stroud, 22/33, 282 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT.
- rush: Joe Mixon, 25 carries, 106 yards, 1 TD.
- transmission: Nico Collins, 7 catches, 122 yards, 1 TD.
CJ Stroud
Things looked bad early for the Texans, who were down 6-0 with a minute left in the first half after a fumble on their first offensive play and two unanswered Dicker field goals.
Deane Leonard intercepted Stroud early in the second quarter, but Lassiter picked off Herbert on the next play to give Houston the ball as the defense dominated the first half.
Stroud finally got something for the Texans. He got a timely 34-yard gain after fumbling the snap that proved to be the turning point of the game, capping a 14-play, 74-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Collins.
When Ka’imi Fairbairn added a 41-yard field goal, Houston suddenly had a 10-6 lead heading into the interval and was the catalyst for what was to come.
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CJ Stroud throws the ball to Nico Collins for a touchdown after an incredible play by the quarterback.
The Texans went up 13-6 when Murray scored his first career touchdown on a 38-yard interception return late in the third quarter.
And Herbert was picked off again on the next drive when Stingley caught a pass tipped by tight end Will Dissly.
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The Houston Texans extend their lead over the Los Angeles Chargers as Justin Herbert throws a pick-six.
Herbert found McConkey for an 86-yard touchdown reception to cut the Chargers’ deficit to 23-12 in the fourth quarter, but Dicker’s extra point attempt was blocked and returned by Ross to make it 25-12.
Stingley intercepted Herbert again late in the fourth quarter to put the Chargers quarterback to shame before Mixon’s 17-yard run extended Houston’s advantage to an unassailable 32-12 with four minutes left.
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Justin Herbert runs for an 86-yard touchdown, but the Houston Texans successfully block the extra point, making it 2!
‘Herbert never had a chance’
Jason Bell on Sky Sports NFL:
“He had no chance against this defense. Remember, we have so much time to prepare for this game. Watch all the film from the entire season.
“You attack when you feel you are ready for this opponent and have a sound game plan, and you saw that early on with this defense.”
What’s next?
The Texans will now advance to the divisional round of the playoffs next weekend, with their likely opponent being the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champions and No. 1 seeded Kansas City Chiefs.
Wild Card Weekend continues Sunday evening. Starting at 6 p.m., the Buffalo Bills take on the Denver Broncos, followed by the Green Bay Packers taking on the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Monday night will see Sam Darnold’s Minnesota Vikings take on the Los Angeles Rams, with kickoff airing live on Sky Sports in the early hours of Tuesday at 1am.
