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The Los Angeles Chargers went into their Wild Card playoff game with the Houston Texans as 3-point favorites even though the game was played at NRG Stadium, the home of the Texans. The expectations were that Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert would get the best of the Texans defense and lead head coach Jim Harbaugh's team to a victory.
While the game started well for the Chargers as they built a 6-0 lead, they could not take advantage of any of their early momentum and they absorbed a 32-12 defeat. Herbert, who had played nearly flawless football in the regular season for the Chargers, threw 4 interceptions in the defeat and was unable to turn the game back in his team's favor at any point.
It was a disappointing performance and Herbert received criticism online from a number of critics, including Bartstool Sports president Dave Portnoy, who called Herbert “the most overrated quarterback in the league.”
Whether Portnoy is correct or not, Herbert had a brutal game against the Texans. He completed just 14 of 32 passes for 242 yards with 1 TD. While it wasn't all his fault as Herbert was victimized by multiple drops from his receivers, there was a sense of panic to Herbert's game that did not show up during the regular season.
Herbert threw just 3 interceptions during the 17-game regular season, so his 4-interception performance against the Texans was shocking.
While Chargers faltered, Texans stepped up
Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud had been criticized for his inconsistent performance during the regular season, but he rose to the occasion in the Wild Card game.
After a relatively slow start, Stroud gained confidence in the second quarter. He had a 27-yard gain on a scramble that sparked the Houston offense. Stroud completed 22 of 33 passes in the game for 282 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception
The quarterback got a big assist from running back Joe Mixon. The speedy back gained 106 yards on 25 carries and had a long run of 17 yards that resulted in a fourth quarter touchdown. Nico Collins was the big playmaker on offense for the Texans with 7 receptions for 122 yards and 1 touchdown.
Derek Stingley recorded two interceptions for the Houston defense, while Eric Murray and Kamari Lassiter recorded the other picks. Murray returned his third quarter interception 38 yards for a touchdown that gave Houston a 20-6 lead and complete control of the game.
The Texans were able to pressure Herbert throughout the game. Will Anderson and Mario Edwards both recorded 1.5 sacks, and Denico Autry also got to the Los Angeles quarterback.
