Texans Punch Ticket Back to the Playoffs With Tough Road Win Over Chargers
It ended up closer than it started
The Houston Texans are headed to the playoffs. The 20-16 win over the Los Angeles Chargers clinched a spot in the playoffs for the Texans. It is their third straight playoff appearance. It is the first time in the team's history to make the playoffs in three consecutive years.
Here are 11 observations from the win.
This game was typical of most games for the Texans. The offense had just enough. The defense was excellent. The special teams contributed. They won. That’s been the recipe for most of the season. This one had the offense front-loaded with the hot start by C.J. Stroud and his rookie wideouts. There was some luck involved, but the Texans were winners in the end, which is all head coach DeMeco Ryans cares about on gameday. I’m not sure how well the recipe carries over to the playoffs, but it has gotten the Texans into the dance for the third time under Ryans.
The hot start on offense was quite the relief. Last week, the Texans looked like they were moving through mud on offense. This is a good Chargers defense, so the start was important. Houston set the tone in a great way. Jayden Higgins ran right past his defender. Stroud placed it perfectly, and the rookie did the rest. The next drive, the Texans went to another rookie. Jaylin Noel was shot out of a cannon and got across the back of the defense. Stroud lofted another excellent pass, and Noel did the rest. Houston rarely starts games as well as they started this one.
