The Texans started slowly on Saturday afternoon, but used a strong performance in the second half to beat the Chargers 32-12 and advance to the divisional round.
Houston was down 6-0 late in the second quarter, but a broken play got the team’s offense going and shifted the energy in the contest. C.J. Stroud had trouble fielding a snap, but still was able to roll to his right and find Xavier Hutchinson for a 34-yard gain on third-and-16 to move the chains.
Stroud eventually ended that possession with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins, giving the Texans a 7-6 lead.
Houston wouldn’t trail the rest of the way.
Ka’imi Fairbairn added a field goal late in the second quarter and a field goal in the third quarter to give Houston a 13-6 advantage. Then Eric Murray made a game-changing play, taking an interception 38 yards for a pick six.
Justin Herbert had thrown just three interceptions all season long, but had four on Saturday battling Houston’s strong defense. He ended the contest just 14-of-32 for 242 yards with a touchdown and four picks.
His one touchdown pass came early in the fourth quarter when he hit receiver Ladd McConkey over the middle for what ended up as an 86-yard touchdown. But the extra point was blocked and returned by cornerback D’Angelo Ross for a defensive two-point conversion.
Joe Mixon then put the game on ice with a 17-yard run with 3:42 left in the fourth. He finished with 106 yards on 25 carries.
Stroud ended the contest 22-of-33 for 282 yards with a touchdown and a pick. He also rushed six times for 42 yards. Per the CBS broadcast, Stroud now joins Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, Russell Wilson, and Brock Purdy as the only quarterbacks to win a playoff game in each of his first two seasons.
Collins led with seven catches for 122 yards with a TD.
While the Chargers had a hard time getting much going offensively — the club finished with 261 yards — McConkey finished with nine catches for 197 yards. He set a new rookie record for single-game receiving yards, eclipsing Puka Nacua’s 188 from last year’s wild card matchup against Detroit.
With the victory, the Texans will now wait to find out their divisional-round opponent. If the Ravens win on Saturday night and the Bills win on Sunday afternoon, Houston will play Kansas City as the AFC’s lowest-remaining seed.