Los Angeles Chargers 12-32 Houston Texans: CJ Stroud plays Justin Herbert capitulating in NFL 2025 playoffs | NFL news
An inspired performance by CJ Stroud and a 38-yard pick-six by Eric Murray propelled the Houston Texans to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs with a 32-12 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Wild Card weekend.
Stroud revived himself and the defeated Texans at the end of a mistake-strewn first half when he recovered a fumble, starting a drive that ended with him throwing a touchdown pass to Nic Collins.
The Texans scored 23 unanswered points against the struggling Chargers, who saw running back Justin Herbert throw four interceptions, including a key pick-six to Murray.
Ladd McConkey’s incredible 86-yard touchdown run threatened to spark a Chargers charge late in the fourth quarter, but their hopes were promptly extinguished when Cameron Dicker’s extra point attempt was blocked and returned by Texans cornerback D’Angelo Ross for two points.
Statistics leaders
Los Angeles Chargers
- Passage: Justin Herbert, 14/32, 242 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT
- hurry: JK Dobbins, 9 carries, 26 yards
- Receiving: Ladd McConkey, 9 catches, 197 yards, 1 TD
Houston Texans
- Passage: CJ Stroud, 22/33, 282 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
- hurry: Joe Mixon, 25 carries, 106 yards, 1 TD
- Receiving: Nico Collins, 7 catches, 122 yards, 1 TD
What next?
The Texans will now advance to the divisional round of the playoffs next weekend, where their most likely opponents are back-to-back defending Super Bowl champions and the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs.
Wild Card weekend continues Sunday night when the Buffalo Bills host the Denver Broncos at 6 p.m., followed by the Green Bay Packers vs. the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Monday night then sees Sam Darnold’s Minnesota Vikings take on the Los Angeles Rams, kicking off at 1am in the early hours of Tuesday, live on Sky Sports.
