Texans Must Win These 3 Matchups to Beat Chargers in Week 9

The Houston Texans have to take advantage of these matchups for a Week 9 victory.

Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) takes the hit from Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) after throwing a pass during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2-5 Houston Texans have a big Week 9 game on the horizon on the West Coast against the 0-7 Los Angeles Chargers; a matchup where both sides are certainly desperate to claim a win given where they stand at the midway point of the regular season.

And for the Texans, they've got a select few matchups to take advantage of against the Chargers to make it happen. If they do win those matchups, then the road to victory becomes a whole lot clearer to imagine.

With that in mind, let's sort through what three of the Texans' biggest matchups could be against the Chargers as they try to claim their third win of their 2026 campaign:

DE Will Anderson vs. OT Joe Alt

Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton (8) is tackled by Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) and defensive end Dylan Horton (92) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texans' pass rush is known to be one of the more dominant units within the NFL–– but they haven't quite showcased those elite skillsets over the past two weeks.

Houston's defensive line has combined for just one sack dating back to Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Will Anderson hasn't had a sack since Week 5. Both could certainly use a statement performance in this game against the Chargers, who haven't been the most stellar in pass protection through the first half of the season.

Anderson won't have an easy task individually this weekend, however. The Chargers will have Joe Alt healthy and back in the lineup at left tackle to be Justin Herbert's blindside protector, who PFF places within the top 10 tackles for pass blocking and run blocking grade.

CB Kamari Lassiter vs. WR Quentin Johnston

Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton (8) stiff arms Houston Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter (4) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This is a bit of an interesting matchup to keep watch of––primarily because of the play style of Quentin Johnston combined with the weaknesses of this Texans secondary through the first half of the season. 

The Texans' defense ranks within the bottom three teams of the NFL for explosive play rate allowed (7.2%), and that's an area where Johnston as a deep-ball, downfield threat can really excel.

So that combination of factors could offer a bit of a soft spot on the Texans' defense for the Chargers to attack. And in that case, it effectively puts someone like Kamari Lassiter on notice.

The Texans' Pro Bowl corner has been off to an up-and-down start to the new year and has found himself on the wrong side of multiple big plays downfield throughout.

If Lassiter can step up on those big play opportunities on Johnson, or really, any other big play downfield on his assignment, that can make finding consistent success a whole lot easier for Houston's secondary throughout this game.

WR Nico Collins vs. CB Donte Jackson

Jan 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) scores a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in the second quarter in an AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Texans have to find a way to get Nico Collins involved in the offensive game plan more this weekend than how Week 7 turned out.

Against the Giants, Collins was limited to just two receptions for six yards, and was essentially forced out of the game plan when New York threw frequent double-team coverages at Houston's star wideout.

But this offense is at its best when Collins has his opportunities to be targeted downfield for those 50-50 balls and explosive chunk plays that this Texans' offense could benefit immensely from right about now.

Especially now that second-year wide receiver Jaylin Noel has been placed on injured reserve during the Texans' bye week, the share of reps and targets for every other wideout in the room gets a little bit bigger.

After the bye, Collins has a perfect opportunity for a strong day against the Chargers and likely Donte Jackson. In the last four games that he's played against Los Angeles, he's averaged four receptions for 73.5 yards and 0.5 touchdowns.

A similar performance to those numbers this week would definitely be considered a big success for the Texans and their passing offense.

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