Tag: Los Angeles Chargers vs. Houston Texans

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.

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.”

NFL announces date and time of Texans’ wild-card game vs. Chargers

The Houston Texans kick off the Wild Card Round weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The NFL playoffs kicks off at NRG Stadium.

The NFL announced the full wild-card schedule for next weekend and the Houston Texans will play in the first game of the wild-card round against the Los Angeles Chargers. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on  Saturday, Jan. 11. The game will be broadcast by CBS and Paramount+.

The Texans and Chargers will be a part of a doubleheader on Saturday, followed by the AFC North battle between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.

Three games will air on Sunday, while ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ will conclude the first round of the postseason.

Below is the full Wild Card Weekend schedule.

Houston and Los Angeles last met in 2022, where the Chargers secured a victory on the road behind a two-touchdown outing from Justin Herbert. The Chargers are riding high after winning three consecutive games to close out 2024.

Houston, which defeated the Tennessee Titans in the regular-season finale, finished the season 1-2 after clinching the AFC South, including suffering a 31-2 loss to the Ravens at home on Christmas Day.

Los Angeles enters Houston with the No. 1 scoring defense, holding opponents to 17.7 points per contest.

The Texans started the playoffs last season with a 45-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns. So for the second straight year, the NFL wants Houston to kick off the playoffs against a wild-card team.