Justin Herbert looks to make amends, 4 other things to know about Chargers vs. Texans

It’s pretty simple. If the Chargers are going to win their first AFC West title since the franchise made its home in San Diego in 2009, they have to come up with a victory over the hottest team in the league on Saturday afternoon at SoFi Stadium.

On Christmas night at Arrowhead Stadium, the Denver Broncos knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs, 20-13, to raise their record to 13-3. The Bolts are currently 11-4 and like the Broncos, have already clinched a playoff berth. A win over the Houston Texans on Saturday puts them one game behind Denver, and Harbaugh’s club knocked off the Broncos back in Week 3 at home, 23-20. Then a win in Week 18 at Denver would give the Chargers (5-0 vs. AFC West foes in 2025) the tie-breaker over Sean Payton’s club.

First things first, and that cooling off a Texans’ team that has won seven straight games. Of course, Harbaugh and quarterback Justin Herbert won’t soon forget last year’s playoff disaster at Houston in which the latter was picked off four times—one of those returned for a touchdown—in an embarrassing 32-12 setback.

Chargers vs. Texans History

It’s a very short-lived series, which makes sense considering the Texans have only been around since 2002. Even with Houston’s 32-12 playoff win a year ago, the Chargers own a 6-4 overall edge in the standings. Now consider that the Bolts won the first four meetings between the clubs from 2002-10, which obviously means Houston owns a 4-2 edge in the last six encounters dating back to 2013. In fact, the Texans have won their last two road tilts in this series—a 31-28 victory at San Diego in ’13, as well as a 27-20 triumph at Dignity Health Sports Park (Carson, CA).

Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud Better Beware

There are 12 players in the league with 10-plus 10 sacks, and three will be in this contest. Both Houston’s Danielle Hunter and the Chargers’ Tuli Tuipulotu have 13.0 sacks, tied for fourth in the NFL, and Texans’ defensive end Will Anderson Jr. has 11.5 QB traps. Tuipulotu and Anderson were named to the Pro Bowl.

Los Angeles’s sixth-ranked ground attack takes on the league’s fourth-ranked run defense. In their first 11 games this season, coordinator Greg Roman’s offensive unit averaged a so-so 115.7 yards per game rushing. During their current four-game winning streak, the Bolts are running for 151.8 yards per outing.

Keep an Eye on Chargers’ WR Quentin Johnston

A year ago, the Chargers achieved a first by giving up the fewest points in the league (301). This season, it’s the Texans that have allowed an NFL-low 249 points. Ryans’s team has allowed a league-low 272.3 total yards per game and given up 28 offensive touchdowns, while totaling 41 sacks and 25 takeaways.

Keenan Allen (73) and Ladd McConkey (65) have more catches than third-year wideout Quentin Johnston (46). However, he leads the Bolts with eight touchdown receptions in 13 games. That was the case in 2024, when Johnston was second on the club with 55 catches but led Harbaugh’s club with eight TD grabs.

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