Eric Murray returned one of Justin Herbert’s calling high four catches for a score, CJ Stroud threw a TD pass and the Houston Texans moved past the Los Angeles Chargers 32-12 in an ace in the hole season finisher game Saturday.
It’s the second sequential year Stroud and the Texans (11-7) won in the essential round after they beat Cleveland last season.
Herbert threw just three catches in the standard season and had never thrown various in a game preceding facing a Texans discretionary drove by AP All-Master cornerback Derek Stingley, who had two INTs. Learner Kamari Lassiter had the other pick.
The Chargers (11-7), who returned to the furthest limit of the time games under first-year tutor Jim Harbaugh, lost in the extraordinary case round momentarily straight time after similarly losing in the 2022 season to remain without a postseason win starting around 2018.
Stroud threw for 282 yards with the score pass to Nico Collins and a catch endeavor. Stroud joined Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, the New York Planes’ Engraving Sanchez, Seattle’s Russell Wilson and San Francisco’s Brock Purdy as quarterbacks to win season finisher starts in all of their underlying two seasons.
Collins wrapped up with seven gets for 122 yards. Joe Mixon ran for 106 yards and a score. D’Angelo Ross returned an obstructed extra point for 2 concentrations for Houston in the last quarter.
Herbert was 14 of 32 for 242 yards with a 40.9 passer rating.
Things looked horrible exactly on schedule for the Texans, who bobbled on their most important offense play and were down 6-0 with about brief left in the essential half.
Nevertheless, Stroud threw a 13-yard score pass to Collins to put the Texans on top. Ka’imi Fairbairn added a 41-yard field objective to give Houston a 10-6 lead into halftime.
They were up 13-6 when Murray scored his most noteworthy calling score on a 38-yard catch return late in the second from last quarter.
Herbert was taken out again on the accompanying drive when Stingley grabbed a pass that was cautioned tight end Will Dissly. The third pick in the 2022 draft, by and large, got Herbert again late in the last quarter.
Herbert found Ladd McConkey for a 86-yard score get-together to cut the Chargers’ lack to 23-12 in the last quarter. Nevertheless, Cameron Bargain’s extra-point try was obstructed and returned by Ross to make it 25-12.
A 17-yard run by Mixon loosened up Houston’s advantage to 32-12 with something like four minutes to go.
The Chargers were up by three after a field objective on their most essential drive when John Metchie bobbled after a catch on Houston’s most noteworthy unfriendly play and it was recovered by Derwin James.
Deal added a 39-yard field objective on the subsequent drive to make it 6-0.
Deane Leonard obstructed Stroud without skipping a beat in the ensuing quarter, yet Lassiter took out Herbert on the accompanying play to give Houston the ball back. In any case, the Texans couldn’t move the ball and punted.
Stroud and Houston’s offense finally got something moving. Houston was defying third-and-16 from its 17 when Stroud blundered the snap and it moved four yards behind him. He scooped it up and evaded the competition to find Xavier Hutchinson for a 34-yard gain.
Stroud related with Collins on a 37-yard gathering two plays later to get the Texans in the red zone. He found Collins again on third-and-11 to put Houston on top 7-6 about a second prior to halftime.
The Texans obliged a punt to get the ball back with 27 seconds left in the ensuing quarter. A season-best 27-yard run by Stroud got the Texans to the Los Angeles 36. The quarterback beat his chest and yelled ensuing to persevering through a hard shot close to the completion of the run.