It wasn’t always pretty Saturday, but it counts all the same as the Texans advanced to the divisional round for the second straight year with a 32-12 victory over the Chargers. Houston safety Eric Murray broke the game open with a 38-yard pick-six that gave his team a 20-6 lead late in the third quarter, and his big play proved to be too much for L.A. to overcome on a mistake-filled day for both teams.
Houston QB C.J. Stroud threw an interception, and wideout John Metchie lost a fumble in the first half as the Texans’ offense struggled to find a rhythm early on. Stroud finally got Houston on track when he drove his team down the field and connected with receiver Nico Collins for a TD just before halftime. The 13-yard score gave the Texans a 7-6 lead they never relinquished.
Stroud finished 22-of-33 passing for 282 yards and one TD against one pick. The 23-year-old is now the sixth QB in NFL history to win a playoff game each of his first two seasons, per the CBS broadcast. Stroud joins Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, Russell Wilson and Brock Purdy.
Houston running back Joe Mixon did his part, too, and delivered the dagger with a 17-yard TD run with 3:42 left in the game. He finished with 25 carries for 106 yards, marking his second career playoff game with at least 100 rushing yards.
On the other side, L.A. QB Justin Herbert struggled mightily against a stout Houston defense that recorded four sacks and four picks. Herbert only threw three picks during 17 games in the regular season, but he was intercepted twice Saturday by Texans first-team All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., as well as cornerback Kamari Lassiter and Murray.
Herbert finished 14-of-32 passing for 242 yards, with a rare highlight coming on an 86-yard TD pass to wideout Ladd McConkey early in the fourth quarter. The Pro Bowl QB is now 0-2 in the postseason with two TDs against four picks.
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