The Texans walked into SoFi Stadium and turned a messy AFC matchup into a track meet through the air, rolling past the Chargers 44-22 in a game that was over long before the final whistle. Houston’s passing game kept landing blow after blow, while Los Angeles spent most of the afternoon trying to dig out of a hole that kept getting deeper.
It started fast for Houston. On the opening possession, the Texans marched 73 yards in seven plays and finished it with C.J.
Stroud finding Xavier Hutchinson for a 17-yard touchdown to make it 7-0. The Chargers answered with a Cameron Dicker field goal, but Houston kept stacking points when Ka’imi Fairbairn drilled a 56-yarder to push the lead to 10-3.
Los Angeles briefly made things interesting in the second quarter by leaning on Dicker. He connected from 33 yards and then from 43, trimming the Texans’ edge to 10-9. That was as close as the Chargers would get.
From there, Houston’s receivers took over. Tank Dell hauled in a deep strike from Stroud and turned it into a 63-yard touchdown, a major moment for both Dell and the Texans. Soon after, Stroud hit Kayshon Boutte on the left side of the end zone for a 12-yard score, and Houston had stretched the margin to 24-9.
The Texans kept the pressure on after halftime. Nico Collins delivered one of the game’s best plays, twisting around a Chargers defender in mid-air before coming down in the end zone for another Houston touchdown. That made it 31-9 and kept the Chargers from finding any rhythm on offense.
Boutte then put together the best game of his Texans tenure with his second touchdown of the day, taking a catch-and-run 63 yards to the end zone and extending the lead to 38-9. Houston would eventually top 40 points for the first time this season.
The Chargers finally got into the end zone on Quentin Johnston’s 58-yard touchdown after a short slant from Justin Herbert, ending a drought of 37 offensive drives without a touchdown. Later, Derius Davis added another score on a 15-yard pass from DJ Uiagalelei. But by then, the game was long gone.
Fairbairn kept adding to the total with a 31-yard field goal and then finished a perfect 3-for-3 day in Los Angeles with a 41-yarder to close out the scoring at 44-22.
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Kamari Lassiter Gets A Big Chance To Quiet A Texans Concern
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A matchup with the Chargers offers a timely chance to change the tone. Los Angeles has been uneven on offense, and that gives Lassiter a shot to settle in, stack a stronger game and maybe even come away with a momentum-shifting takeaway. For Houston, a confident outing from Lassiter would do more than quiet a concern. It would give the Texans another piece they can trust as the defense tries to keep tightening up. [Read more 🡒]
Fairbairn Gives Texans One Advantage Chargers Really Need To Worry About
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For Houstons offensive coordinator, that reliability changes the calculus on third down. It opens the door to more aggressive play-calling, knowing drives do not have to end in touchdowns to still produce points, and that matters against a Chargers team dealing with its own offensive struggles. With both clubs trying to sort out their place in the standings, Fairbairns leg is one more thing the Texans can use to tilt the game plan in their favor. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Inactives Bring One Lineup Twist Fans Will Notice Fast
The Texans Week 9 inactive list brought one lineup wrinkle that stands out right away, with rookie tight end Marlin Klein active for the first time since Week 3. Houston will be without injured players David Montgomery and Reed Blankenship, and Braden Smith is also sitting out as a healthy scratch, leaving the game-day picture a little thinner in a few spots as the team gets set for the Chargers.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, arrives with a much cleaner availability report. The Chargers listed no surprise absences and will have all of their top starters available, which adds a little more pressure on Houston to make the most of the pieces it does have in uniform. [Read more 🡒]