It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was largely an offensive abomination. And yet.
On Saturday in the opening game of wild-card weekend, the Houston Texans beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 32–12, advancing to the AFC divisional round.
The loss will haunt Los Angeles for some time. On Houston’s first five drives, the Chargers gave up only 54 yards and registered two turnovers but ultimately had only a 6–0 lead with two field goals. The biggest play of the game came when, after an interception set Los Angeles up at the Texans’ 40-yard line, Justin Herbert threw a pick to rookie corner Kamari Lassiter on the next play.
Below are five takeaways from what took place in Houston, leading with what’s next for the Texans, and what the narrative will be about Herbert moving forward.
Whoever plays the Texans should be very confident
Houston ended up winning by a comfortable margin, but it didn’t play well offensively. The defense scored on a pick-six and then got another 30-yard field goal as a result of Derek Stingley Jr. returning another interception to the Los Angeles 11-yard line. There was also a blocked extra-point attempt returned for two points.
Otherwise, the Texans turned the ball over three times while churning out 429 total yards on 70 plays, although 99 came on a 13-play touchdown drive in the second quarter. Their only other quality drive sealed the game, going 74 yards on 14 plays to make the score 32–12.
In short, Houston put it together for two series and that was enough.
Next weekend, the Texans will most likely go to Arrowhead for a date with the Kansas City Chiefs. If there’s an upset in Buffalo, Houston would then play the winner of Saturday night’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Regardless, the Texans should be thrilled they won in the wild-card round for the second consecutive year. However, if Houston doesn’t play much, much better in the divisional round, the Texans aren’t going to be in the playoffs for long.
Justin Herbert needs to elevate his team, not be elevated
Before garbage time (23–6 in the fourth quarter), Herbert was 12-of-27 for 145 yards with three interceptions, before throwing another on his penultimate drive. The second pick was returned for a touchdown, effectively putting Los Angeles in an impossible spot. The Chargers didn’t help matters by running for just 2.8 yards per carry while allowing four sacks, but Herbert is considered a star and played like a backup.
Going into the offseason, the Chargers have to upgrade their skill-position talent and the interior offensive line. The receivers are suspect beyond rookie Ladd McConkey. However, offensive coordinator Greg Roman and coach Jim Harbaugh must figure out how to get Herbert to play at his best in the biggest moments.
During the regular season, the Chargers won 11 games. However, they lost to every playoff opponent, save for the seventh-seeded Denver Broncos. And in Herbert’s five-year career, he’s now 0–2 in the postseason, with both defeats coming as road favorites. The losses include losing a 27–0 lead and throwing three picks in a loss while being favored against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It’s one thing to be good enough to beat bad teams. It’s another to be good, and that starts with Herbert.
Texans’ mistakes didn’t cost them because of an opportunistic defense
Houston did something very rare in a playoff game. The Texans committed three turnovers and had eight penalties for 86 yards, and still won.
Now, this is also a credit to Houston’s defense, which was ranked fifth this season allowing 315 yards per game. The unit didn’t give up a touchdown until the game was essentially out of reach.
Next weekend, the Texans must be more buttoned up. Houston has shown the ability to be better with turnovers, ranking seventh in turnover margin during the season at plus-10. Still, penalties have been an issue, as the Texans were flagged 119 times, fifth-most in the league.
Ladd McConkey needs some help this offseason
The Chargers drafted McConkey in the second round and watched him blossom into a star with 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season before going nuclear against Houston with nine catches and 197 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown. However, the rest of the receivers accounted for two catches and 14 yards. It’s a disaster.
General manager Joe Hortiz needs to be aggressive with his cap space this winter. If Tyreek Hill becomes available, Hortiz should pursue a trade. When free agency begins, the Chargers should also be a top suitor for Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin and others.
Los Angeles is a good team in many facets, but the Chargers are a one-trick pony in the passing game.
Nico Collins came up big, but is he enough in the later rounds?
Collins showed why he’s an All-Pro–level receiver, torching the Chargers for 122 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. The numbers are even more impressive when considering Houston’s other wideouts totaled eight catches for 96 yards on 14 targets.
Unquestionably, Collins’s talents are going to be tough to tamp down, even when Houston sees a better group of corners. If the Texans do indeed draw the Chiefs next weekend, All-Pro Trent McDuffie will play plenty against Collins regardless of where he lines up. All told, C.J. Stroud has to find some other weapons to utilize.
Perhaps the answer is another big day from running back Joe Mixon, who rushed for 106 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown against the Chargers. Mixon, who amassed 1,106 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in just 14 regular-season games, has been a nice find for general manager Nick Caserio.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Wild-Card Rapid Reaction: Texans Take Advantage of Opportunistic Defense.