Houston Texans vs Los Angeles Chargers Matchup

In this Wild Card round NFL preview between Chargers and Texans, see who like to win the game and cover the spread.

On Saturday, January 11th at 4:30 ET, the Chargers and Texans will face off at NRG Stadium in Houston. The Chargers are favored on the road with a money line of -160. The game is being televised on CBS, and the Chargers are -3 point favorites. The Texans' money line odds are +134, and the over/under line is set at 43.5 points.

Chargers vs. Texans Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NFL
Teams: Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans
Where: Houston at NRG Stadium
Date: Saturday, January 11th
Betting Odds LAC -3, LAC -160 | HOU +134 O/U 43.5

Chargers Preview:

The Chargers closed the regular season with three straight wins, including a 34-20 victory over the Raiders in week 18. They also picked up a 40-7 win over the Patriots in week 17 and a 34-27 win over the Broncos in week 16. Los Angeles bounced back from a 40-17 loss to the Buccaneers in week 15, but they still finished the season 11-6, putting them 5th in our power rankings heading into the playoffs.

Against the spread, the Chargers went 12-4-1, including 11-2 as favorites. They covered in each of their last three games, including a 7-point win over the Raiders as 3-point favorites in week 18. The over hit in each of their last four games, but the under hit in their week 1 matchup with Las Vegas, with the teams combining for 32 points against a line of 40.5.

Chargers Offense Breakdown

Heading into the Wild Card round, the Chargers are 11th in the NFL in scoring, averaging 23.6 points per game. They rank 20th in the league in total offense, with 324.2 yards per game, and are 19th in passing yards, with 213.5 per game on 30 attempts per contest. On the ground, they rank 17th in rushing yards, averaging 110.7 per game on 27.2 attempts. The Chargers are 11th in the NFL in 3rd-down conversions, with a 40.3% success rate, and they rank 10th in red zone conversion percentage.

In their Week 3 loss to the Steelers, the Chargers scored 10 points, all in the first half. Justin Herbert finished with 125 yards and a touchdown, completing 12 of 18 passes. J.K. Dobbins led the team with 44 rushing yards on 15 carries, while Quentin Johnston had 2 catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. The Chargers struggled on 3rd down, converting just 3 of 11 attempts.

Chargers Team Defense

In their 34-20 win over the Raiders, the Chargers' defense gave up 225 passing yards on 25 completions. The Chargers defended the run well, allowing just 39 yards on 12 attempts. Despite not recording any sacks, they did manage to hit the quarterback two more times than the Raiders.

The Chargers' defense picked off one pass and held Las Vegas to a 22.2% conversion rate on third down. The Raiders did find the end zone twice through the air, and opposing quarterbacks completed 69.4% of their passes against the Chargers.

Texans Preview:

With a 10-7 record, the Texans finished the regular season atop the AFC South, going 5-1 in division games. They entered the season ranked 18th in our power rankings, but they outperformed expectations and now sit 4th in the AFC. Houston went 5-3 at home and 5-4 on the road.

Houston’s average scoring margin this season was 0, and they went 7-9-1 against the spread. They were 4-6-1 as favorites and 3-3 as underdogs. The over/under record in their games was 6-10-1, with an average of 43.8 points scored compared to a 44.5-point line.

Texans Offense Breakdown

Heading into the Wild Card round, the Texans rank 20th in our offensive power rankings. They sit 18th in the NFL in points per game, averaging 21.9, and are 22nd in yards per game with 319.7. Houston ranks 10th in passing attempts but is 21st in passing yards per game, averaging 207.4. On the ground, they are 15th in rushing yards per game and 17th in attempts. The Texans have been strong in the first quarter, ranking 5th in the league in scoring.

In week 3, C.J. Stroud threw for 215 yards, completing 20 of 31 passes, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Cam Akers led the team in rushing with 21 yards on 9 carries, while Stefon Diggs had 10 receptions for 94 yards. Houston struggled on 3rd down, converting just 4 of 14 attempts.

Texans Team Defense

In their 23-14 win over the Titans, the Texans' defense allowed just 85 rushing yards on 32 attempts, holding Tennessee to 2.7 yards per attempt on the ground. Houston gave up 229 passing yards on 16 completions, with one touchdown allowed and a 61.5% completion rate against them. They also held the Titans to a 33.3% conversion rate on third downs.

Houston's defense recorded two sacks in the game and had a positive differential in both quarterback hits and tackles for loss.

Chargers vs Texans Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Los Angeles has played well in their previous 5 road games, going 4-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 27 points per game while allowing 13. The team also performed well vs the spread at 5-0.
In their last three games at home, the Texans have a straight up record of 2-1 while going 1-1-1 vs the spread. The team averaged 21 points per game in this stretch.
The last three games that Houston was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 1-2 straight up.
Going back to their previous ten games as the favorite, Los Angeles has an ATS mark of 8-2 while going 8-2 straight up.