Chargers’ Offense Implodes in Wild Card Defeat to Texans

Despite a valiant effort from the defense, Justin Herbert’s four interceptions doom Chargers as their 2024-25 season ends at the hands of the Houston Texans.

By Austin Gage

For the second time in the last three seasons, the Los Angeles Chargers fell flat in the AFC Wild Card Round as they suffered a disappointing 32-12 loss Saturday afternoon to the Houston Texans.

Hoping to shake off any playoff ghosts left behind after an infamous 27-point blown lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023, Los Angeles once again traveled to the home of the AFC South champions, this time matching up against a 10-7 Houston team.

Season-long issues regarding consistency offensively appeared at the worst time in the playoffs for the Chargers as they were held by a stout Texans defense to just one touchdown and two field goals.

A hot start defensively gave Los Angeles the edge early on.

Thanks to a forced fumble from safety Alohi Gilman on Texans’ wide receiver John Metchie, the Chargers were able to produce field goals on the first two drives offensively of their own.  The reliable kicker Cameron Dicker nailed two shorter field goals of 35 and 39 yards each to give the Bolts an early 6-0 lead, and a stout defensive effort ensured an early lead deep into the second quarter.

Houston began the game in an offensive struggle against the stingy Los Angeles defense. Following the forced fumble, they ended their drives with the following: punt, punt, interception and punt. The interception was made by cornerback Deane Leonard as the third-year man out of Ole Miss was able to corral a misfire by Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud to give the Chargers good field position. 

Unfortunately for the Bolts, great defensive effort did not translate into offensive efficiency.  

In what may have served as a bit of a symbol of the offensive day that they were having, Los Angeles star quarterback Justin Herbert gave the ball back to Houston the very next play as he rolled to his right and slung a pass downfield toward the left side of the field. It was the standout rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter who came down with the interception for the Texans and began a repeated offense that would haunt Herbert for the rest of the game.

Houston would later use a 13-play, 99-yard drive to put up their first points of the game late in the second quarter. The Chargers defense had a chance to get off the field on a 3rd and 16, but an impressive play by Stroud negated that chance. After a fumbled snap and chase by Stroud to pick up the football outside the pocket to his right, he was able to find a wide-open wide receiver in Xavier Hutchinson in the middle of the field for 34 yards. Capped off with a 13-yard pass to star wide receiver Nico Collins, Stroud gave the Texans a 7-6 lead that would be aided by another field goal just before the half for a 10-6 advantage in their favor. Despite some sophomore year struggles for Stroud, who was the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, he played very well in the Wild Card to the tune of 282 passing yards and 42 rushing yards to go along with the toss to Collins for a singular score.

As momentum shifted in the Texans’ favor, the Chargers fell apart completely offensively in the second half. 

Despite another forced turnover from the defense on Houston star running back Joe Mixon via a forced fumble from veteran safety Tony Jefferson, Los Angeles followed with a turnover on downs on the ensuing possession. Herbert could not connect with wide receiver Quentin Johnston on fourth down thanks to outstanding defense from All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.

After a field goal from the AFC South winners, the game still remained within one score for Los Angeles at 13-6. Then, disaster struck.

Looking for his favorite target in the talented rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey, Herbert attempted a high pass that sailed just through the outstretched hands of the latter. Unfortunately for the Chargers, the ball found the hands of Texans’ safety Eric Murray, who raced down the left sideline all the way into the endzone for the pick-six. The dramatic play gave Houston a 20-6 lead late in the third quarter.

Desperately needing a response staring at a 13-point hole to begin the fourth quarter, Herbert and company produced a solid drive with a few healthy gains. Back-to-back throws to McConkey of 10 and 19 yards helped move the ball into Texans’ territory, but disaster would strike once again.

Targeting his tight end Will Dissly, Herbert fired a pass that slipped right through the middle of the former’s hands and once again found a Texan defender. It was Stingley Jr. who found the football this time and he was able to race 54 yards in the other direction to give his team a stellar field position. Stingley Jr. would end his day with two interceptions of Herbert to go along with five passes defended. 

For Herbert, the game went as bad as it could have. After a phenomenal regular season in which he only threw three interceptions the entire campaign, he surpassed that total in Saturday afternoon’s matchup with a total of four. A massive 86-yard touchdown to McConkey in the early fourth quarter helped his statline a bit and allowed the Chargers to remain relatively close with a 25-12 deficit, but it was not the performance he was looking for in order to help the Chargers advance to the Divisional Round.

“It’s tough. I let the team down; you can’t turn over the ball like that and expect to win. I put the team in a tough position there with four turnovers like that. The defense hung tough, they got some turnovers and they gave us opportunities but I just have to be better,” Herbert said.

McConkey was a bright spot offensively for the Bolts despite all of the chaos on that side of the ball. He caught nine balls for 197 yards through the air with the touchdown, and his 197 receiving yards set a rookie record for most by a rookie in a postseason game.

“He was a beast, an incredible player. Tough as they come,” said Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh.

A response from the Texans on a long 14-play, 74-yard drive all but sealed the victory for the home team. With a 32-12 lead and another interception from Stingley on Herbert, Houston won a playoff game for the second year in a row and the Chargers bowed out of the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

“They were the better team today, all respect to them. Not being the better team today, I’m accountable for that so that’s on me. Congratulations to [head coach] Demeco Ryans and the Texans,” Harbaugh said.

The Texans will travel to Kansas City to take on the AFC West Champion Chiefs while the Chargers season is over.

Looking ahead, this offseason should be a busy one for Los Angeles. With over $70 million in cap space paired with the 22nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and seven other selections, the team may look a bit different come training camp and late summer of 2025. Veteran star linebacker Khalil Mack, who will be a free agent after the conclusion of the season, has expressed the potential of retiring as well. Key free agents also include defensive backs Asante Samuel Jr., Elijah Molden and Kristian Fulton, defensive lineman Poona Ford, running back J.K. Dobbins, wide receiver Joshua Palmer and offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman.