What began as a blowout, ended as a down-to-the-wire finish Saturday, as the Houston Texans held off the Chargers with a 20-16 victory at SoFi Stadium.
The outcome rippled through the AFC, with the Denver Broncos clinching the AFC West, and the Indianapolis Colts eliminated from playoff contention. The Broncos are the first team other than Kansas City to win the division in the past decade.
The Chargers (11-5), who had won four in a row, made some uncharacteristic mistakes to fritter away scoring chances.
Justin Herbert, who otherwise had a tremendous and gutty game, was intercepted a yard away from the end zone in the first half.
Cameron Dicker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, missed for the first time in his career inside of 40 yards and in the fourth quarter hooked an extra-point try, only the fourth PAT miss of his career.
Herbert completed 21 of 32 passes for 236 yards with a touchdown and interception.
Houston’s C.J. Stroud completed 16 of 28 for 244 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Texans (11-5), who got off to an 0-3 start this season, came into Saturday’s game riding a seven-game winning streak.
They played host to the Chargers in the first round of the playoffs last season and collected a 32-12 victory, intercepting Herbert four times.
On Saturday, Herbert kept the Chargers in the game, absorbing hits from every angle yet still throwing a one-yard touchdown pass to Oronde Gadsden II at the end of the third quarter and setting up another touchdown, a five-yard run by rookie Omarion Hampton, with 3:37 left in the fourth.
Dicker missed the extra point on the latter touchdown, meaning the Chargers couldn’t tie with a field goal and needed a touchdown.
At the end of the first half, Dicker missed a 32-yard field goal, and weird as that was, it encapsulated what kind of start it was for the Chargers.
They were flat and flat-footed from the beginning, surrendering a 75-yard touchdown pass on Houston’s first possession and a 43-yard touchdown pass on the second.
The Texans were up, 14-0, before the Chargers got their initial first down.
Herbert was sacked three times in the half, and on the first appeared to have hurt his surgically repaired left hand. At least he was wincing and favoring that hand as he walked off the field, but it didn’t sideline him.
Despite getting off to a two-touchdown lead, the Texans didn’t run away with the game.
Derwin James Jr. had an interception early in the second quarter to set up a field goal for the Chargers.
The Chargers got a field goal and moved into position for a touchdown in the second quarter when Herbert connected with Quentin Johnston for a 60-yard gain.
On the following play, however, Herbert attempted to hit Gadsden over the middle. The pass wasn’t perfectly timed, and glanced off the hands of the rookie tight end, who was near the goal line. Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair made the interception at the one.
Minutes later, the Chargers would get another golden opportunity to score. Elijah Molden made an interception at the Houston 32, and his team made it into the red zone before Dicker’s failed attempt.
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