The Houston Texans will kick off the NFL playoffs at home in the 4:30 time slot on Saturday of wild-card weekend for the eighth consecutive year, facing the Los Angeles Chargers as underdogs. The Texans, despite winning the AFC South, have struggled in the latter part of the season, with injuries impacting their offense. They face a tough challenge in protecting quarterback C.J. Stroud against the Chargers’ strong pass rush.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has had a highly efficient season, with a career-best 7.7 yards per attempt and just three interceptions on 504 attempts. The Chargers are favored on the road, with a strong defense that has limited opponents to 6.7 yards per pass attempt, the second-lowest mark in the league. The over/under for the game is at 42.5, the lowest of the weekend.
The Chargers have been successful on the road this season, going 7-2 as road favorites, while the Texans have struggled, going 3-4-1 at home. The matchup between the Chargers’ defense and the Texans’ offense will be key, with the over/under reflecting that the game may be low-scoring. Only six of Houston’s 17 games this season went over, while eight of the Chargers’ 17 games did.
Despite their underdog status, the Texans will look to overcome their offensive struggles and protect their quarterback to pull off a win in the playoffs. The game promises to be an exciting start to wild-card weekend in the NFL.
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