Tag: Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Key things to know about Texans’ wild-card opponent: Chargers

Here’s some quick hits to know about the Los Angeles Chargers entering the wild-card round showdown on Saturday.

The Houston Texans return to NRG Stadium to face off against the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round on Saturday afternoon at NRG Stadium.

To preview the matchup, here are some key things to know about Houston.

How Houston finished the regular season

The Chargers finished with an 11-6 record, winning three of their last four games, including two by 14-plus points. Against playoff teams, Los Angeles posted a 3-4 record, including a 0-2 record against No. 1 seed Kansas City.

Luck Ladd

Justin Herbert is the headliner out west, but he’s had a reliable weapon in Ladd McConkey. The second-round pick out of Georgia has been a consistent target in the slot, averaging 5.2 catches per game and 14.0 yards a reception. He also has three 100-yard outings, including a career-best 123-yard performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Win on third down

The Chargers enter Saturday not only boasting the NFL’s top-scoring defense, but also featuring a top-five defense on third-down efficiency. Headlined by All-Pro safety Derwin James, Los Angeles is allowing opponents to convert on 35.7% of drives.

Houston, which is coming off a 23-14 win over the Tennessee Titans, ranked 20th in conversion rating at 37.6% per outing.

Red zone dominance

Bobby Slowik’s play-calling must be elite inside the 20. Los Angeles’ defense not only leads the league in scoring but also opposing red-zone touchdown percentage. Teams are scoring at a 44.6% success rate.

Slowing down Nick Bosa and Khalil Mack might be the key for Houston if it plans on scoring. The Bolts duo under new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter finished with 11 total sacks. Bud Dupree, the No. 3 rotational specialist, also recorded six sacks in 15 games.

Other notes

  • The Chargers are 10th  in third-down conversion rate and 3rd in turnover margin.
  • Herbert leads the NFL in touchdown-to-interception ratio with 23 passing TDs against 3 INTs
  • The Chargers have the second-fewest giveaways (14)
  • Los Angeles has allowed 44 sacks this season, 23 of which have come up from up the middle.
  • While a balanced offense, the Chargers are averaging 213.5 passing yards per game. Eight different players have caught a touchdown pass from Herbert.

Texans vs. Chargers injury report: Latest updates, news for Tuesday

Here’s the injury report for both the Texans and Chargers following Tuesday’s practice.

Here are the full injury reports from Tuesday’s practice for the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers ahead of their wild-card round showdown on Saturday at NRG Stadium.

Houston Texans (10-7)

DID NOT PRACTICE

Texans pleased with WR Diontae Johnson’s debut before postseason

Diontae Johnson was limited but made enough of an impact for a larger role in the Texans’ next playoff game.

Diontae Johnson caught two passes for 12 yards on four targets with one first down against the Tennessee Titans in his Houston Texans‘ debut.

He caught a punt return and nearly broke free for a substantial.

While he didn’t find the end zone, Johnson made it on the field for 37 percent of the offensive snaps as the Texans picked up their 10th win on the year in a 24-13 victory.

On paper, it’s not all impressive, but DeMeco Ryans was pleased with the debut. That’s one of two people Johnson must impress for more playing time before Saturday’s wild-card round showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers.

“I thought he picked up on the things we were asking him to do. I thought he had some really nice catches, really nice plays throughout practice and he got in the game,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We were able to get him a little involved in the game as well. I thought he handled himself really well. We will start to continue to feed him more to see how he can help us.”

Claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens after a rocky seven weeks, Johnson is looking for a fresh start in Houston. Known for his proven ability to get open and is a smooth route runner, skills the Texans are banking on utilizing those skills opposite Nico Collins on a run through the postseason.

Albeit here for two weeks, Johnson’s made the right impression on his teammates. Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon said the former Pittsburgh Steelers star would be “highly valuable” to the offense.

Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik called Johnson one of the league’s “better separators in the league” after a hot start in Carolina. That was on display during the third quarter of Sunday’s contest, though Davis Mills was a second late in connecting with the newest offensive weapon.

Johnson, who totaled 30 catches for 358 yards and three TDs with the Panthers in seven games, should have an expanded role against Los Angeles defense. The secondary, headlined by All-Pro safety Derwin James, is allowing just 210.6 passing yards per contest.

“It is just a matter of him integrating into our offense and making sure we put him in positions to where we can accentuate his talents because he is a talented player,” Ryans said. “He has made a ton of plays in this league, and it is exciting to see what he has been able to do on the practice field.”

Texans ranked among bottom-dwelling playoff teams in NFL power rankings

The Houston Texans aren’t viewed as a favorite to win the Super Bowl, but they’re not the worst entering wild-card weekend.

It feels like few national pundits are giving the Houston Texans a chance to advance past the wild-card round.

No one is giving the back-to-back AFC South champions a legitimate chance to blow past everyone in the AFC and hoist up a Lombardi Trophy next month in New Orleans, including USA Today.

Following their 23-14 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 18, the Texans ranked 12th in Nate Davis’ NFL playoffs power rankings for USA TODAY Sports. Davis has Houston ranked slightly above the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh, who have tougher paths toward Super Bowl LIX in the AFC.

A group that appeared to be on a steep ascent toward a championship level – something that H-Town hasn’t enjoyed since the Oilers were an AFL powerhouse in the 1960s – has decidedly plateaued after what seemed a promising breakthrough in 2023. Offensive injuries and a too-often disjointed attack – one often undermined by a shaky line – have led to something of a regression by QB C.J. Stroud, last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. The defense has been slightly more dependable overall yet has also surrendered at least 26 points in four of Houston’s last eight games.

The home game conferred by the AFC South crown could help, as might a wild-card matchup against a Chargers team that also doesn’t have much collective experience in these situations. But hard to envisage a best-case scenario for the Texans beyond a second consecutive trip to the divisional round. – Nate Davis

Elsewhere in the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs are ranked No. 1. The Los Angeles Chargers, who head to Houston for the wild-card round, are ranked No. 10.

Houston hopes to prove the doubters wrong this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on CBS and Parmount+. All-time in the wild-card round, the Texans are 5-2, including last year’s 45-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans shares early thoughts on ‘really well coached’ Chargers team

DeMeco Ryans knows the Los Angeles Chargers are more than your averaged wild card team.

Jim Harbaugh told reporters before leaving Las Vegas that Houston Texans would provide a challenge for the Los Angeles Chargers if they didn’t bring their “A-game” if they plan on winning this Saturday.

DeMeco Ryans offered a similar sentiment toward the roster coming in from California on Monday.

The Texans kickstart wild-card round weekend with a battle against Justin Herbert and a surging Chargers offense. The last time Harbaugh stepped foot in NRG Stadium, he walked out with a national title under his arm.

That’s a winning formula as translated to a team out west.

“We’re really excited about this matchup versus the Chargers,” Ryans said Monday. “Really well-coached football team. You can see Coach (Jim) Harbaugh’s imprint on the football team instantly. Just how sound they are, in all three phases, really sound football team.”

Headlined by Justin Herbert, the Chargers are riding a three-game winning streak to close out 2024. After suffering a season-ending injury in 2024, Hebert rebounded, leading the NFL in touchdown-to-interception ratio (23:3) while bolstering a 101.7 passer rating.

“Justin Herbert is one of the better quarterbacks in the league, “Ryans said. “He’s done a really good job of just protecting the football. He doesn’t turn the ball over a lot, and that’s a lot to be said for a quarterback who does that. Really puts his team in really good situations. They move down the field. They’re good on third down.”

While Herbert is the headliner, rookie Ladd McConkey has been the scene-stealer as Los Angeles’ top weapon. The second-round pick out of Georgia was a consistent threat in the slot, leading the Bolts in receptions (82), receiving yards (1,149) and explosive plays (15).

McConkey also finished with seven touchdown receptions while averaging 14.0 yards per catch.

“He’s an elite route runner, very shifty, moves all over the place,” Ryans said. “You can tell they have that instant connection between McConkey and Herbert. And it’s a real connection. He’s all over the field, making plays for him, catching a lot of footballs and he’s a dynamic player.”

Defensively, Los Angeles enters NRG Stadium boasting the NFL’s top defense in points per game (17.7) and opposing red-zone touchdown percentage (44.6%). With a combination of Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, the Bolts also rank top-five in opposing third-down conversion percentage (35.7%) and sack (46).

The pass-rushing duo might be the least of Houston’s worries. All-Pro defensive back Derwin James is the target the Texans must eliminate if they plan on finding the end zone.

“We’ve got to find Derwin James. He’s all over the place,” Ryans said. “You talk about blitzing, safety, nickel, whatever position you want to call it. Derwin is playing lights-out and he’s an impact player. We have to have awareness for where he is at all times.”

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

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+.