INGLEWOOD, California (KTRK) — The Houston Texans are playoff-bound with their 20-16 win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday afternoon.
To start the scoring column in the first quarter, Texans star quarterback C.J. Stroud connected with wideout Jayden Higgins on a 75-yard touchdown to give Houston the lead 7-0 over Los Angeles. Stroud later connected with rookie wide receiver Jaylin Noel for the 43-yard touchdown to boost the Texans’ lead to 14-0 in the first quarter.
Through the beginning of the second quarter, Texans’ Stroud got intercepted by Chargers safety Derwin James. Chargers placekicker Cameron Dicker made a 27-yard field goal to stop the bleeding with the Texans up 14-3 midway through the second quarter. Towards the end of the first half, Stroud threw his second interception to Chargers cornerback Elijah Molden. With a chance to narrow Houston’s lead, Chargers’ Dicker missed a 32-yard field goal attempt with 14 seconds left in the second quarter.
The Texans led the Chargers 14-3 at halftime. For Houston, Stroud completed 10 of 18 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the first half. Concerning the Chargers, starting quarterback Justin Herbert completed 10 of 14 passes for 123 yards with one interception.
Midway in the third quarter, Texans placekicker Ka’imi Fairbairn hit a 63-yard field goal to give Houston a 17-3 lead over the Chargers. Toward the end of the third quarter, the Chargers responded after Herbert connected with Gadsden for the one-yard touchdown to trim Houston’s lead to 17-10.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, Texans’ Fairbairn chipped in a 44-yard field goal to extend Houston’s lead to 20-10. Yet Los Angeles then answered back with a five-yard touchdown from Chargers running back Omarion Hampton to make it a one-score game with Houston up 20-16. However, Chargers’ Dicker missed a field-goal attempt with three minutes remaining in the fourth.
The Texans extend their winning streak to eight games, and now improve to 11-5. Houston also kept their AFC South title hopes alive and clinched a playoff berth for the third straight season. The team wraps up regular-season play at home in NRG Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Jan. 4, in Week 18.
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