Texans vs. Chargers live updates: NFL playoff scores for wild-card games, TV channel, odds, highlights – CBS Sports
If not listed, please contact your TV provider.After rebounding from a horrendous start during which they looked half asleep, the Houston Texans came from behind to defeat the visiting Los Angeles Chargers 32-12, advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs in the process.Houston fumbled the ball away on its first play from scrimmage, while already trailing 3-0 after giving up a field goal on L.A.’s opening drive. The Texans gained just 54 total yards on their first five possessions, which yielded three punts, an interception and the aforementioned fumble. It took them until about the five-minute mark of the second quarter to achieve their second first down of the game, but they luckily got rolling on that drive and romped 99 yards for a touchdown to take the lead late in the first half.C.J. Stroud eventually finished with a strong game, completing 22 of 33 passes for 282 yards, one touchdown and one pick, while also rushing four times for 44 yards — including a 27-yard scamper that set up an end-of-half field goal to give Houston a four-point lead heading into the break. Nico Collins ripped off 122 yards and a score on his seven catches, while Cade Stover and John Metchie III each caught four passes and Joe Mixon got himself over 100 total yards and a touchdown after a slow start to the game, powering a game-ending drive that included 14 consecutive runs.Meanwhile, Houston’s defense suffocated Justin Herbert and Co. for almost the entire game, breaking only once — for an 86-yard touchdown throw to Ladd McConkey late in the fourth quarter, with the Texans nursing a three-score lead. Herbert was under siege throughout the afternoon, and he eventually took four sacks in addition to throwing four interceptions. He completed less than half his passes during the competitive portion of the game, as nobody other than McConkey could come close to getting open downfield. L.A.’s run game was also essentially nonexistent throughout, forcing the entire burden of the offense onto a passing attack that didn’t have enough juice, and an offensive line that was thoroughly whupped by Will Anderson Jr. and Houston’s defensive front.Now, the Chargers are headed home and the Texans are headed to the next round of the playoffs.Stalwart defense and special teams, and enough big plays on offense. The Texans held the Chargers to a mere 4.8 yards per play. They sacked Justin Herbert four times and picked him off four times as well — including once for a touchdown. J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards did nothing. With the exception of one big play to Ladd McConkey, L.A.’s pass game didn’t do much, either. Houston got a blocked extra point returned for two points, saw Ka’imi Fairbairn make all of his field goals and extra points and had Tommy Townsend have one of his best punting games. C.J. Stroud and Co. got off to a slow start but eventually got rolling a bit, with Nico Collins making some huge plays with the ball in his hands and Joe Mixon icing things down the stretch.Massive missed opportunities and far too many mistakes. L.A. got stuffed on third-and-1 on its opening drive and settled for a field goal. Gifted a short field for its second drive, the Chargers took a sack and then had a huge drop and thus had to settle for a field goal again. After a fair catch interference penalty on the Texans, a drive went nowhere. They even had an extra point blocked and returned for two points. They failed on a fourth-down try. Herbert was intercepted not one, not two, not three but four times — once more than he was during the entire regular season. And honestly, that list of miscues barely covers the extent to which the Chargers made mistakes in this game.The first of Herbert’s four interceptions turned out to be the most costly, even if it didn’t directly lead to anything. Right after C.J. Stroud had thrown a disastrous pick, Herbert rolled out to his right and tried to hit a throwback to Quentin Johnston across the field. The throw was just not there for him at all, and Kamari Lassiter picked it off.Houston wouldn’t actually score on its ensuing drive, but taking away L.A.’s opportunity to open up a two-score lead ended up being massive and helped the Texans take their own lead into halftime.There’s no other option here. It has to be the busted snap scramble-drill 34-yard rope from Stroud to Xavier Hutchinson.Houston’s offense was essentially D.O.A. before this play, which spurred a 13-play, 99-yard touchdown drive that ended with the Texans taking a lead they would never relinquish. And it almost never happened.The Texans are moving onto the divisional round. As the No. 4 seed, their opponent in the next round is up in the air. If the Bills and Ravens win, Houston will face the Chiefs. If only one of the Bills or Ravens wins, the Texans will face that team. And if both the Texans and Ravens lose, the Texans will face the Steelers.The Chargers are eliminated. They will pick somewhere between 19th and 24th in the 2025 NFL Draft, depending on what else happens this weekend. They need help along the offensive line and in the pass-catcher corps, as well as the defensive front seven.Fourth pick of the day for Justin Herbert. That kind of night. The Texans are heading to the divisional round.Joe Mixon got off to a very slow start to the game, but he is now well over 100 total yards and he just got himself into the end zone to ice the game. 25 carries for 106 yards and a score, plus a 13-yard catch.Of course, the Chargers can’t even have good things happen when they score, as the extra point gets blocked and returned for two points. Incredible stuff.Hahahaha naturally the Chargers get an 86-YARD touchdown on the very next snap. Incredible timing, Dubin.The interior of this Chargers offensive line is getting positively DEMOLISHED. Herbert has gotten walloped on consecutive snaps.Texans add a field goal to make it a 17-point game and this one feels over, folks.This one isn’t really Herbert’s fault, but it goes on his ledger. He threw three picks the entire regular season, and has three today. Bad drop by Will Dissly is his second of the day.Herbert had an open man and just threw the ball right over his head and into the waiting arms of Eric Murray. Nobody in front of Murray at all and he took it to the house. Brutal throw right there. Texans up two scores and given the way this has gone, that might be more than enough.Both of these offensive lines have had trouble protecting the interior today.After all that, Houston turns a second-and-40 (after the overturned pick and two holding penalties) into another Fairbairn field goal to make this a 7-point game late in the third quarter. What a ridiculous (derogatory) football game this has been.UPDATE: The interception has been reversed to an incomplete pass. What a fantastic interception by Derwin James, going up and snatching the ball out of the air in a 50-50 situation with Dalton Schultz. Wow. The run-back doesn’t count and Mixon took a 15-yard penalty at the end of it, so I think this will be Chargers ball at the 35-yard line.Yikes-worthy short-yardage sequence from the Chargers at the end of this drive. Gus Edwards stoned at the line on third-and-2, then Quentin Johnston runs his whip route short of the line to gain on fourth and Derek Stingley is right there to take him down at the catch point. Brutal missed opportunity.Welp. As soon as I said the Texans were looking like a different team, Tony Jefferson made something happen for L.A.’s defense. Stripped Joe Mixon on the perimeter after he initially looked like he was going to throw ball, and got the ball back for his team just outside its own 20-yard line.What a throw from Stroud under pressure and then just absolutely outrageous after catch stuff from Collins. Wow. Texans look like an entirely different team since that broken play from Stroud to Hutchinson to pick up a third-and-long.The Texans leading this game at halftime is a minor miracle, considering how it started. Ka’imi Fairbairn’s field goal makes it 10-6 heading into the half. What a turn of events. What a run from Stroud to set up a potential field goal here. 27-yard scoot. Longest run of the season.Disaster half for the Chargers. Not building a bigger lead while the Texans were sleepwalking was an obvious issue as it was happening, and looks like even more of one now.That’s a 99-yard touchdown drive for the Texans, who now have the lead after sleep-walking through much of the first half. Back side slant and he was able to get inside leverage and take it in for the easy score. C.J. Stroud turned absolute disaster into the biggest play of the game. A botched shotgun snap led to him scrambling away from pressure almost immediately, but he found Xavier Hutchinson wide the heck open in the middle of the field for a huge gain to move the chains just before the two-minute warning.Houston’s secondary is BALLING. Kamari Lassiter and Derek Stingley Jr. have extremely stick coverage out there.L.A. has Houston totally flummoxed. The Texans cannot run the ball at all, to the point that they aren’t even trying. And Stroud has very little time to throw. Add in a couple drops and a fumble, plus a pick, a dropped pick, and a couple sacks… yikes.The Chargers tried to set up a deep throwback to Quentin Johnston on their first play after the Deane Leonard pick, and Kamari Lassiter read it the entire way. He made a great play on the ball, that probably should never have been thrown or else should have been throw away by Justin Herbert.The Texans finally threw the ball to Nico Collins, but Kristian Fulton was with him the entire way and there was no chance at a completion. Next snap… Stroud gets picked. Absolutely zero idea where he was going with the ball. Almost looked like he tried to throw it away but didn’t throw it far enough. Yikes.After two plays, the Chargers are already at the 35-yard line. Houston punted from the 41. (Before the delay of game.)EXTREMELY conservative decision from DeMeco Ryans to punt the ball on fourth-and-6 from the 41-yard line here. You eventually have to score some points if you want to win the game.Herbert has gotten whacked in the arm while trying to throw the ball twice in the last two series. Something to watch the rest of the way.L.A. has already been stopped on a third-and-1, had a horrible drop on second-and-19 and dropped an interception. If the Chargers don’t score here after the fair catch interference penalty, they’ll have only a 6-point lead even after call of Houston’s early miscues. That would be less than ideal.A Will Anderson sack knocked L.A. off script deep in Houston territory. A big drop by Will Dissly set up third-and-19, and Herbert just threw underneath to set up a shorter field goal for Dicker to make it 6-0. Texans got off easy after the turnover.
© 2004-2024 CBS Interactive. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc.
The content on this site is for entertainment purposes only and CBS Sports makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. There is no gambling offered on this site. This site contains commercial content and CBS Sports may be compensated for the links provided on this site.
Images by Getty Images and Imagn
