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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.
DID NOT PRACTICE
The Houston Texans are not only in the right mindset, but they’re also well-rested heading into Saturday’s showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers.
DeMeco Ryans said the Houston Texans starters would see action in Sunday’s Week 18 regular-season finale against the Tennessee Titans, but he never a timetable.
After C.J. Stroud connected with Nico Collins for a 2-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive, most of the essential stars day was done on offense.
By halftime, the defensive stars could exhale and loosen their pads. All that was left was to wait for the clock to strike zero on a 23-14 win at Nissan Stadium.
A breather was needed, but so was a proper sendoff to the 2024 season. Stroud, Mixon and the entire defense struggled to find any success on Christmas Day in a 31-2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Now, the Texans enter playoffs with the right mindset. They’ll host the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round Saturday for a chance to extend the season at least another week.
“Our team has played really good football throughout the year,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We’ve earned a right to play postseason football, which is always our goal and now we’re excited for whatever opportunity comes next.”
Houston’s 9-point victory gave the team 10 wins for the sixth time in franchise history. It also marked the 20th regular-season win for Ryans and the 19th for Stroud.
The Texans also got to see the growth of other players like Derek Barnett and Dameon Pierce step up for a chance to see extended reps against Los Angeles. Barnett recovered the fumble against Titans quarterback Will Levis for his second TD of the season on a 36-yard scoop-and-score.
Pierce, Houston’s 2023 starting running back, broke free during the second quarter for a 92-yard touchdown en route to a career day. He finished with 176 yards and the longest touchdown run of the regular season.
“He maximized the opportunity today with the carries that he had, made some really big runs for us,” Ryans said. “I was excited. I think our whole entire sideline was excited to see him play the way he’s played for us.”
The Chargers enter Saturday fresh off a three-game winning streak to close out 2024. Granted, two of those wins came against teams with a combined seven-win total, but Jim Harbaugh’s roster has been a constant force festively all season.
“Well-coached football team,” Ryans said of the Bolts. “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.”
Los Angeles (11-6) enters Saturday with the top-rank scoring defense (17.7 points per game) and leads the league red-zone touchdown percentage (44.6%). The Bolts also rank top-five in opposing third-down conversion percentage (35.7%), and sacks (46).
Do-it-all defensive back Derwin James is coming off another All-Pro caliber season and anchors Jesse Minter’s defense with the help of pass rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa.
“We have our hands full as it should be in a playoff matchup,” Ryans said. “We’re excited to go against a really good football team.”
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. All-time in the wild-card round, the Texans are 5-2, most recently shoring up a 45-14 win last season as the No. 4 seed against the Cleveland Browns.
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.”
➖#Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh on what he’s seen from the #Texans
🗣️ “Yeah, yeah, really good, really good. I’ve started to look and defensively really, really good. Really good against the run*. I mean not a lot of people running the ball on them. They’re playing really well in… pic.twitter.com/tVoC3SoXtF
— sidelinesarah (@sidelinesarah) January 6, 2025
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.
You can feel HC Jim Harbaugh and OC Greg Roman’s fingerprints all over the physicality of Los Angeles’ team.
Not unlike the Texans, the Chargers want to run through you with zero remorse.
Ample opportunity for Azeez Al-Shaair to shine in his first full game back #HTownMade pic.twitter.com/NfiiuxPJxP
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) January 6, 2025
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.”
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans credits Jim Harbaugh’s “imprint” for immediately showing up when you watch the Chargers. Praised the efficiency of the Chargers.
— Cody Stoots (@Cody_Stoots) January 6, 2025
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+.
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.”
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.
SAVE THE DATE & DON’T BE LATE‼️ pic.twitter.com/cIcbAWEnLo
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 6, 2025
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.
New news from @nfl345 pic.twitter.com/obgZVtJgp6
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) January 6, 2025
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.
