The Houston Texans defeated the Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 32-12 on Jan. 11, advancing to the divisional round of the 2025 NFL playoffs.
For the Texans, this victory represented more than moving on to the next stage of the postseason, but also a much needed boost of momentum to dispel doubts about their status as contenders.
During the regular season, the Texans had a slew of issues that made them seem like they’d be a first-round exit this year. With a sophomore slump from quarterback C.J. Stroud, struggling offensive line play and injuries to wide receivers Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs, Houston limped into the playoffs as the champions of the weak AFC South division with a 10-7 record. Meanwhile, in their first season under the leadership of head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Los Angeles Chargers had already taken great leaps compared to last year. This was punctuated by a defense that allowed touchdowns just 45.45% of the time in the red zone compared to the national average of around 57%. Their offense was spearheaded by quarterback Justin Herbert and running back J.K. Dobbins. Despite the two teams having similar records, the Chargers were projected to defeat Houston by a margin of three points.
During the first half, the issues that had plagued the Texans during the regular season looked to be hindering them once again. Despite their defense holding the Chargers to just six points, the offense was unable to capitalize on opportunities, committing turnovers and struggling to pick up yards. Approaching the two-minute mark in the second quarter, they had yet to score. But on a third down play, C.J. Stroud turned a botched snap into a miraculous 34-yard completion to Xavier Hutchinson, a critical breath of life that would pay off two plays later when Stroud connected with Nico Collins to cap off a 99-yard touchdown drive.
By the third quarter, the Texans looked like an entirely different team.
Their stout defense continued to smother the Chargers, dominating the line of scrimmage and forcing four interceptions out of Justin Herbert, who had only been picked off three times during the regular season. Running back Joe Mixon dominated on the ground, racking up 119 total scrimmage yards and scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown that effectively put the game away. Even special teams played phenomenally, blocking a punt and scoring an anomalous two-point conversion on defense when a Chargers point-after-touchdown attempt was stuffed and ran across to the opposite endzone by Deangelo Ross. Cornerback Derek Stingly put the finishing touches on the game by snagging his second interception of the game with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, sealing the Chargers’ fate.
In their first playoff game of 2025, the Texans showed some growth from the regular season. The offense caught fire in the final two quarters, a reversal of their tendency to choke and give away close games by faltering in the second half. The Texans managed to address this weakness by feeding off Stroud’s success in order to make big plays and change the tone of the game. Stroud’s improvised completion to Hutchinson was the turning point that ignited the Texans. Stroud also showed the ability to make plays on the ground, including a 37-yard run that put Texans in position to kick a field goal and extend their lead in the final seconds of the second quarter. Continuing to make explosive plays like these will be instrumental to the Texans’ success in the next round of the playoffs.
Despite defeating the Chargers handily, the Texans still have some weaknesses that they will need to iron out if they want to have any hope of making it past the juggernaut Chiefs in the divisional round. They lost a total of 86 yards due to the eight penalties that they committed, so having more discipline will be crucial if the Texans want to retain their momentum. They also found themselves in 14 third-down situations. Being stuck in third and fourth downs with long yardage to get a first down has been a recurring problem for the Texans all season, and it doesn’t help that their offensive line has allowed Stroud to be sacked 52 times this year, the second-highest total in the NFL.
Aside from having to make sure not to beat themselves, the Texans will also have to dethrone a playoff monster. The Chiefs will be hosting them and are not only winners of back-to-back super bowls, but thanks to a unique combination of brutal weather, impassioned fans and questionable calls from officials, they haven’t lost a home playoff game since Jan. 30, 2022, when they were defeated by the Bengals. The Texans lost to the Chiefs in week 16, where Mixon faltered and the Texans’ defense was held to one sack. By contrast, the pass rush and the run game were areas where the Texans truly shined against the Chargers, racking up four sacks and many more quarterback pressures while dominating with Mixon. Those two departments will have to keep rolling against the Chiefs, who are ranked eighth in run defense and seventh in offensive line strength.
While the Texans looked like a much better team against the Chargers, it’s ultimately a tiny sample size of just one game. They’ll still need to shake off some mistakes and shortcomings before they can be seen as legitimate AFC frontrunners among the Bills, Ravens and Chiefs. But if they continue to lock down opposing teams with their defense and make explosive plays on offense, then the Texans will put themselves in position to deepen their postseason run.
The Texans will play their next playoff game against the Chiefs on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN.
