Announcers set for Chargers vs. Texans wild-card weekend showdown

Here’s who’s on the call for the Texans and Chargers entering the wild-card round weekend.

The Houston Texans return to NRG Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a winner-take-all showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT on CBS and Parmount+. Ian Eagle (play-by-play) and Charles Davis (analyst) will serve as the crew in the booth. On the field,  Evan Washburn (field reporter) will conduct interviews and provide injury updates from the sidelines.

The Texans aim to keep their wild-card round winning streak alive against a surging Bolts roster on the riser. All-time, Houston is 5-2 in the first round of the playoffs. The Texans also are riding a three-game winning streak, including last year’s 45-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

With a win, the Texans would likely own the last seed in the postseason if all goes according to plan. The Baltimore Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday evening while the Buffalo Bills kickoff Sunday’s three-game set at home against the Denver Broncos.

If both teams win, Houston would hit the road to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round. But sights are on securing a win this weekend despite being a 5.5-point home favorite.

“We’re here now, let’s go play,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “For me, nothing else matters. It’s how you’re playing right now. Are you playing your best ball going into the playoffs? That’s what matters most. And are you able to consistently keep up with that when you are in the playoffs? Can you continue to play good ball?”

Houston last faced off against Los Angeles in a home back during the 2022 season.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh gives stellar praise to Texans ahead of playoff game

Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh is excited to take on a hot Houston Texans roster at the right time.

As the Houston Texans prepare for their wild-card round matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, most pundits aren’t giving the AFC South champions much hope to advance.

First-year Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t one of those doubting Houston’s potential in a winner-take-all showdown. He understands that at their peak, the Texans can cause defensive fits for Justin Herbert and a surging Chargers offense.

“Defensively, really good,” Harbaugh said following Sunday’s Week 18 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. “Really good against the run, not a lot of people running the ball on them. They’re playing really well on the back end.”

Fresh off a 23-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans, the Texans might have refound their mojo. The defense recorded four sacks and scored a 36-yard fumble recovery thanks to defensive tackle Derek Barnett.

Offensively, Nico Collins and Joe Mixon made headlines on the opening drive, each surpassing 1,000 yards receiving and rushing on the season. Dameon Pierce also provided a spark on the ground with his 176-yard rushing performance.

The headline of Saturday’s showdown will be between C.J. Stroud and Herbert. The last time Houston fans saw the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, he went 6-of-6 passing for 53 yards and a touchdown.

“C.J. Stroud is really elite,” Harbaugh said. “Nico Collins is elite. They’ve got great playmakers, great competitors. It’s gonna take our A-game. We’ll turn all our preparation and focus towards the Texans. I know we’re gonna have to play good, that I can tell ya.”

With a win, the Texans would advance to the divisional round for the second time under DeMeco Ryans. In a similar situation to Saturday’s contest, the Cleveland Browns entered Houston as a 3-point favorite and a better record.

That didn’t stop Stroud from setting a playoff record en route to a 45-14 victory at NRG Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT. The game will be nationally televised on CBS and Paramount+.

Texans odds: Houston opens as home underdog against Chargers in wild-card round

The Houston Texans might be in the playoffs, but they’re underdogs on the road against the surging Los Angeles Chargers.

The Houston Texans can be the third team to clinch the spot in the divisional round of the playoffs on Saturday afternoon at NRG Stadium.

The only thing in their way? A four-quarter battle in Nashville with the surging Los Angeles Chargers wild-card round. The last time Jim Harbaugh was in Houston, he walked away with a national title at Michigan.

Houston (10-7) enters Saturday’s showdown at Nissan Stadium as a 3-point home underdog against Los Angeles (11-6), according to odds from BetMGM. The over/under is currently set at 43.5, while the money line is at -165.

The Texans are preparing for a date with one of the league’s top defenses. In Year 1 of the Harbaugh regime, Jesse Minter turned a one-thought promising unit back into a legitimate force headlined by Derwin James and Khalil Mack.

Offensively, Justin Herbert has been consistent in helping Los Angeles secure its first 10-win season in three years. He finished with just under 4,000 passing yards and 23 touchdown passes against just three interceptions.

The Chargers are fifth in the NFL in turnover differential.

Houston is coming off perhaps its most uplifting in of the regular season with a 23-14 road victory over the Tennessee Titans. Starters rested after the opening drive, leading to a dominant day on the ground by running back Dameon Pierce.

“When you start clicking at the right time, you just want to keep seeing this,” Texans running back Joe Mixon told reporters. “Keep trending upward. And pretty much we came out there and executed the game plan.”

AFC playoff picture: There are now 2 possible opponents for Texans in wild card round

The Texans know they’re either hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round.

The Houston Texans are locked into the No. 4 seed in the AFC Playoffs regardless of Sunday’s outcome against the Tennessee Titans.

Their opponent? It rests in the hands of Justin Herbert.

The Texans’ options for next week’s wild-card round are down to the Los Angeles Chargers or Pittsburgh Steelers. Since Pittsburgh lost at home to the Cincinnati Bengals, the fate of the No. 5 seed belongs to the Bolts.

If Los Angeles (10-6) beats Las Vegas on Sunday, it will lock up the fifth seed and travel to NRG Stadium to play the Texans in the wild-card round. With a loss, Pittsburgh (10-7) heads south for a winner-take-all showdown in what perhaps will be the Amazon Prime game of the weekend.

Pittsburgh would earn the No. 5 seed because of its head-to-head win over Los Angeles back in September.

The team that nabs the No. 6 seed is in for trouble. The Baltimore Ravens, who bested the Texans in a 31-2 Christmas chaotic outing, clinched the AFC North and the No. 3 seed with a dominant victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday afternoon.

The rest of the AFC is mostly set entering Sunday’s finale. Kansas City locked up the No. 1 seed at 16-1, while Buffalo is guaranteed the No. 2 seed.
Denver (9-7), Cincinnati (9-8) and Miami (8-8) are alive for the final spot.

With a win over the Chiefs, the Broncos are in at 10-7.

With a win over the New York Jets and a Denver loss, the Dolphins are in.

The Bengals did their job and have a head-to-head win over Denver, but they still need help to secure a postseason bid.

They’ll be pulling for the Chiefs and Jets to upset the Broncos and Dolphins, respectively.

Point spread, over/under for Chargers vs. Eagles in Week 9

The Los Angeles Chargers open as slight favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Los Angeles Chargers (4-3) are currently 2.5-point favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles (3-5) heading into Week 9 of the regular season. The over/under is set at 49.5, per Tipico Sportsbook.

The Chargers most recently fell to the Patriots by the score of 27-24.

After trading touchdowns early on, the same ongoing mistakes continued to bite the Bolts. Those were lack of early-down execution, the run defense, punt coverage unit, dropped passes, and penalties.

Furthermore, quarterback Justin Herbert was not at his best for the second straight week, as he was held a completion percentage of nearly 50 and was picked off twice.

The Eagles, on the other hand, had a field day against the Lions. Their victory was highlighted by a dominant run game, which included 235 yards and four touchdowns. In addition, Philadelphia’s defense forced a turnover on top of sacking Jared Goff six times and hitting him on 11 occasions.

The last time these two teams met was back in 2017, in which the Eagles came out on top, 26-24.

Sunday’s contest between Los Angeles and Philadelphia will begin at 2:05 p.m. PT and be televised on CBS.

Point spread, over/under for Chargers vs. Patriots in Week 8

The Los Angeles Chargers open as favorites over the New England Patriots.

The Los Angeles Chargers (4-2) are currently 5.5-point favorites over the New England Patriots (3-4) heading into Week 8 of the regular season. The over/under is set at 48.5, per Tipico Sportsbook.

The Chargers are coming off their bye week. But prior to that, Los Angeles was a victim of a total beatdown by the Ravens, 34-6.

Quarterback Justin Herbert was held to just 22 of 39 passing for 195 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Defensively, the Bolts could not stop the Ravens rushing attack, allowing 189 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Patriots recently rolled over the Jets, 54-13. QB Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes in his first 300-yard game. Furthermore, running backs Damien Harris and J.J. Taylor ran for two touchdowns each.

The last time Los Angeles and New England met was last season. It was then when head coach Bill Belichick drew up the perfect game plan to force Herbert into the worst performance of his career. The result was a 45-0 win for the Patriots.

Sunday’s contest between the Chargers and Patriots will begin at 1:05 p.m. PT and be televised on CBS.

Chargers open up 2021 season as slight underdogs to Washington Football Team

With Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Washington Football Team awaiting them, the Los Angeles Chargers have opened up as slight underdogs in Week 1.

The Los Angeles Chargers (0-0) open up the 2021 regular season with a matchup against the Washington Football Team (0-0) at FedExField.

Per Tipico Sportsbook, the Football Team is favored -108 on the money line (bet $108 to win $100). The Chargers, however, come in at -112, so oddsmakers believe this will be a close contest.

The Washington Football Team will look to repeat as NFC East champions, with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. Fitzpatrick will have a decent offensive line and a few play-makers at his disposal, most notably running back Antonio Gibson and wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

On the other side of the ball is where the team is at its best, which will  provide a tough test for reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, Justin Herbert, who shattered a multitude of records in 2020.

Herbert could be in for an even bigger season, even with new offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi calling the shots, given the fact that he will have all key skill players from last year returning, along with the additions of tight end Jared Cook and wide receiver Josh Palmer.

Most importantly, Herbert should have plenty of time to distribute the wealth to those guys, with a revamped offensive line that features All-Pro center Corey Linsley, guards Matt Feiler, Oday Aboushi and first-round pick Rashawn Slater.

Los Angeles will look to make a deep run under head coach Brandon Staley after finishing under .500 the past two seasons, and it all starts on Sunday, Sept. 12 at 10:00 am PT.

Vegas sets Chargers’ 2021 win total

The Chargers are sitting above .500.

We are still months away from the 2021 regular season, but win totals are being released for all 32 teams.

What are the projections for the Chargers?

After finishing with a 7-9 record in 2020, BetMGM has their projected win total at 9.

The betting line for Los Angeles is -105 over / -125 under, meaning you’d have to wager $105 to win $125 for an over bet and $125 to win $105 for an under bet.

Keep in mind, starting in 2021, there will be 17 games instead of a 16-game season.

After experiencing a slew of close losses last season, first-year head coach Brandon Staley is eager to get the team back to their consistent winning ways.

With a revamped offensive line, 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert should only be in a position to improve in his sophomore season, especially with the talented skill players around him.

The majority of the defense remains intact, but they will only benefit more from having safety Derwin James back, along with the pieces they bring in through the draft.

Here’s a look at how the rest of the AFC West stacks up:

  • Chiefs: 12
  • Broncos: 7.5
  • Raiders: 7.5

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Chargers open up as underdogs to Falcons in Week 14

The Chargers look to show some life in the final quarter of the season.

The Los Angeles Chargers (3-9) are looking to pick up at least couple of wins as they head into the final quarterback of the 2020 season.

Going into this weekend’s contest, the Chargers are currently 2.5-point underdogs to the Atlanta Falcons (4-8) in Week 14 of the regular season, per BetMGM.

Los Angeles is coming off their worst defeat in franchise history, which came by the score of 45-0 to the New England Patriots. The Bolts were outplayed in every phase of the game, including special teams, where they gave up two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Atlanta lost to the New Orleans Saints for the second time in three weeks. The loss came after obliterating the Las Vegas Raiders by the score of 43-6. While their record may suggest that they’re a bad team, the Falcons haven’t been all that bad in recent weeks.

Sunday’s matchup will begin at 1:25 p.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Chargers open up as 3-point favorites over Bengals in Week 1

Vegas is confident that the Los Angeles Chargers will come out victorious over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Chargers are preparing to open up the 2020 season with a matchup on the road against the Bengals, and are seen as favorites to win the contest.

Despite being on the road, Los Angeles is opening the week as three-point favorites over Cincinnati, per BetMGM.

The Chargers won’t have Phillip Rivers for the first time in years, which makes journeyman Tyrod Taylor the Week 1 starter.

While there’s some reason to be skeptical of the quarterback play, Taylor will have playmakers to distribute to wealth to with running back Austin Ekeler and receivers Keenan Allen, (possibly) Mike Williams and Hunter Henry.

Defensively, Los Angeles is stacked at all three levels, despite not having Derwin James, who was placed on the injured reserve.

For the Bengals, they begin a new era with rookie Joe Burrow under center. Burrow has the weapons to thrive, led by A.J. Green and Joe Mixon.

On the other side of the ball, Cincinnati went out and grabbed D.J. Reader, Mackensie Alexander, Trae Wayne, Josh Bynes and Vonn Bell in hopes of improving what was a brutal defense last year.

Sunday’s matchup begins at 1:00 p.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.