Chargers vs. Texans final score, result: Houston advances after defense picks off Justin Herbert four times

David Suggs

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Chargers vs. Texans final score, result: Houston advances after defense picks off Justin Herbert four times image

The Texans entered the postseason bandaged and bruised, felled by season-ending injuries to star wideouts Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs. With a matchup against the Chargers and star hurler Justin Herbert — winners of three straight — on the horizon, conditions seemed ripe for mayhem to unfold.

As it turned out, chaos was on the cards. However, when the dust settled on the matchup, it was Houston, not Los Angeles, that finished on top. The Texans captured a 32-12 victory over their AFC West foes, punching their ticket to the AFC divisional round in the process.

Houston's offense looked weary in the game's opening stages, struggling to mount much of anything as the likes of Nick Bosa, Derwin James, and Alohi Gilman made their presence felt. However, the Will Anderson and Derek Stingley Jr.-led unit was nearly faultless as the night wore on, collecting four interceptions and four sacks on Herbert.

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C.J. Stroud, held quiet for much of the first half, finished his contest with 22-of-33 passing, 282 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He added another six carries and 42 yards on the ground, authoring up a solid, if unspectacular, display.

Compared to Herbert, it was a masterpiece. The Chargers' fifth-year starter completed 14-of-32 passes for 242 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. His four INTs were one more than he threw all season.

Houston's next matchup will be determined after the rest of the AFC games on Saturday and Sunday. If both the Bills and Ravens win, as expected, Houston will travel to Kansas City and face the Chiefs.

The Texans were far from perfect on Saturday. As long as that defense continues to perform, they might not have to be, though.

The Sporting News tracked live updates from Saturday's wild-card duel between the Chargers and the Texans. Check them out below.

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Chargers vs. Texans final score

 

 

Chargers vs. Texans highlights from 2025 NFL wild-card playoff game

All times Eastern.

End of fourth quarter: Texans 32, Chargers 12

7:50 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Stingley plucks another Herbert pass out the sky! The Texans are moving on to the AFC Divisional round!

7:45 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Ryans dials up the run on fourth-and-one. Mixon delivers with aplomb, barreling through the Bolts defense to effectively put this game on ice. What a drive for the Pro Bowler, who surpassed the 100-yard mark for the first time since Dec. 1

Texans 32, Chargers 12

7:40 p.m.: Los Angeles retains its timeout after Mixon was deemed to have strayed out of bounds while getting around the bend.

7:38 p.m.: Mixon delivers a crunching stiff arm on Leonard en route to getting the first down. Vitally, he stayed in bounds, seemingly forcing the Chargers to burn a timeout.

7:37 p.m.: Stroud moves the chanson the QB sneak. The Texans are rolling with just 4:15 left.

7:36 p.m.: The call on the field stands as given. Houston's offense is back on the field on fourth and short.

7:33 p.m.: Stroud takes it himself and darts the length of the line marker, falling just short of the first down line — or did he? Head coach DeMeco Ryans is challenging the spot of the ball.

7:32 p.m.: Houston is working the clock down, with Mixon being called into action more. He's up to seven straight carries as the clock dwindles below six minutes.

7:24 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Herbert finds McConkey, who evades a would-be tackle before racing 86 yards to pay dirt. Unfortunately for the Bolts, the ensuing PAT was swatted away, with Dicker deflecting the ball into Ross' path, who rumbles down the length of the field to tack on two points to Houston's edge.

Texans 25, Chargers 12

7:18 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Fairbairn sinks another triple as Houston's lead grows.

Texans 23, Chargers 6

7:14 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Dissly drops another pass. This one lands in Stingley's hands, who carries it inside Los Angeles' 25 before being brought down by Dobbins. It's all coming apart for the Chargers now.

End of third quarter: Texans 20, Chargers 6

7:05 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Herbert's pass sails over McConkey's head and into the hands of cornerback Eric Murray, who takes it back 38 yards for the score.

Texans 20, Chargers 6

7:01 p.m.: The Chargers can't produce much of anything on offense. Herbert and Co. once more are sent back to the sidelines after a brief possession.

6:55 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! After a sordid bit of mayhem, Houston tacks on three to its advantage via Fairbairn's foot.

Texans 13, Chargers 6

6:50 p.m.: The interception was overturned! James was deemed to not complete have completed the catch when he came down to the ground. On his ensuing return, he was struck down deep in Los Angeles' territory — although he would've technically been ruled down by contact. Mixon delivered an illegal hit while James brought the ball back, prompting a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary. As a result, the Texans will receive the ball back facing second-and-30.

What a mouthful...

6:46 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Stroud fires another pass towards Stover. James is privy to the toss, leaping high to collect Stroud's errant effort. That's Houston's third turnover of the day. It's hard to win in the postseason when you do that.

6:44 p.m.: Stroud, Mixon and tight end Cade Stover have the combined to bring the Texans on the cusp of the red zone...again.

6:35 p.m.: TURNOVER ON DOWNS! Johnston came down with Herbert's dart on fourth-and-short. But the pass was too short and Derek Stingley Jr. too good — the first-team All-Pro cornerback brought Johnston to the ground with one arm, ending the Bolts threat before it started.

6:31 p.m.: FUMBLE! Houston's drive goes up in smoke as Tony Jefferson rips the ball from Joe Mixon's grasp. The former Ravens safety took matters into his own hands, falling atop the pigskin as the Texans see another scoring chance evaporate.

6:29 p.m.: Collins' heroics continue: Houston's standout carved Los Angeles' secondary to the tune of a 41-yard catch and run. He's up to six catches for 109 yards thus far.

6:27 p.m.: We're back in action from Houston, with the Texans offense trotting back onto the field after their late half fireworks.

End of second quarter: Texans 10, Chargers 6

6:12 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Fairbairn splits the offense from 41. Houston's lead swells as the half nears its completion.

Texans 10, Chargers 6

6:11 p.m.: Another completion gives Ka'imi Fairbairn some additional room to work with.

6:08 p.m.: Stroud looks far more comfortable than he did earlier in the game. Just slalomed down the field for 27 yards, placing Houston in field goal position as the half nears its close.

6:07 p.m.: After the Bolts' ensuing drive came to a swift and sudden close, the Texans have a chance to potentially add to their advantage.

6:00 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! The Stroud-Collins partnership is finally starting to bear fruit today. Collins shakes off his marker on third-and-11, spilling out into space on the slant route. Stroud finds him with relative ease, giving the Texans a much-vaunted score before the end of the first half.

Texans 7, Chargers 6

5:57 p.m.: Collins escapes Gilman's surveillance to snag Stroud's feather down the field. The 1,000-yard-man then trotted an additional 15 or so yards, settling on the cusp of Los Angeles' 10.

5:53 p.m.: Stroud flashed a bit of his wizardry on third-and-long, corralling an errant snap 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage before evading Los Angeles' pass rush and dropping an effort into Xavier Hutchinson's lap for a 34-yard gain. That's just what Houston needed ahead of the two minute warning.

5:48 p.m.: Stroud hits Nico Collins to get the first. The Texans are hoping that moment will breathe life into their offense, which has been dour thus far.

5:45 p.m.: Los Angeles has struggled to capitalize on its time of possession advantage. Despite a pair of early McConkey contributions, the Chargers' latest drive took on the shape of most of their other ones, ending in a punt.

5:41 p.m.: McConkey is making his mark in his first career playoff game. The Georgia alum reeled in Herbert's dart then curled beyond the marker to move the chains on third down.

5:38 p.m.: Another Houston drive falters as Tommy Townsend returns to the field to launch another punt down into Los Angeles territory.

5:33 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Herbert returns the favor, throwing across his body in the hopes of finding Johnston. It didn't work — Kamari Lassiter high-pointed the ball and evaded Johnston's reach to rip the ball out the sky.

5:30 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Stroud misfires on third down, instead finding a leaping Deane Leonard, who comes down with two feet inbounds to set up shop for the Chargers offense at Houston's 40-yard line.

5:24 p.m.: Herbert dialed up a pair of tosses to Ladd McConkey, bringing the Bolts out of the shadow of their end zone. However, the drive fell to pieces after a Quentin Johnston drop on third down. Another punt is on the horizon.

5:20 p.m.: Another Texans drive comes to a premature close. Ball headed back to the Chargers.

End of first quarter: Chargers 6, Texans 0

5:10 p.m.: BLOCKED PUNT! D'Angelo Ross gets a finger tip on JK Scott's punt, sending the ensuing effort sputtering out of bounds. The punt itself landed inside of Houston's 30, so not the worst result for the Bolts. Still, they'll want to keep tabs on Ross going forward.

5:00 p.m.: Stroud misses his target bad on third down, only narrowly avoiding an interception. The ball is headed back to Los Angeles.

4:54 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Dicker doubles L.A.'s advantage, although the Chargers will be kicking themselves after failing to find pay dirt. Will Dissly had a chance to make a big play on second-and-long, but he dropped the ball just as he neared the first down marker.

Chargers 6, Texans 0

4:50 p.m.: FUMBLE! Alohi Gilman jars the ball loose from John Metchie III on the Texans' first play of the game. The bumbling orb falls into Derwin James' path as Los Angeles records the first turnover of the game. The Chargers offense will start their second drive of the inside Houston's 25.

4:48 p.m.: Stroud and Houston stride onto the field. He'll look to recreate his exploits from last year's Wild Card round, when he tallied 274 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Texans past the Browns.

4:44 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Cameron Dicker opens up the scoring with a field goal from 35 yards out.

Chargers 3, Texans 0

4:38 p.m.: Los Angeles is firing on all cylinders to start the game. Herbert's bolt to tight end Tucker Fiske is the latest in a string of positive plays for the Chargers, who have trotted to the cusp of the red zone via Herbert and JK Dobbins' exploits.

4:34 p.m.: And we're off! The Chargers are taking to the field, led by Justin Herbert, one of the NFL's most efficient passers.

4:00 p.m.: Seems like the Texans are entering Saturday's game feeling loose. Check out their pregame handshake routine.

3:50 p.m.: Looks like SpongeBob is invoking the spirit of Jim Harbaugh ahead of today's matchup. Could that be a premonition?

3:30 p.m.: Houston will be backed by Dell and Stefon Diggs, both of whom are missing in action due to season-ending injuries. Perhaps that can give Stroud and Co. a boost in their clash with the Bolts.

3:00 p.m. - The Texans will be in some custom warmup apparel as well. C.J. Stroud and company will be supporting WR Tank Dell, who suffered a rather gruesome knee injury on Christmas Day against the Chiefs.

2:30 p.m. - With fires running rampant throughout Los Angeles, the Chargers are paying homage to their city and its fire department. They'll don LAFD apparel before and during the game.

Chargers vs. Texans start time

  • Date: Saturday, Jan. 11
  • Time: 4:30 p.m. ET

The NFL playoffs kick off with the Chargers vs. Texans on Saturday, Jan. 11. Kickoff from NRG Stadium in Houston will be at 4:30 p.m. ET.

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What channel is Chargers vs. Texans on today?

  • TV channel: CBS, Nickelodeon (U.S.) | TSN1 (Canada)
  • Live stream: Fubo, Paramount+ (U.S.) | DAZN NFL (Canada)

The Chargers and Texans will meet on CBS, with Ian Eagle leading the broadcast as the game's play-by-play announcer. Charles Davis will join him in the booth, offering occasional musings, while Evan Washburn features as the game's sideline reporter.

Fans can find a SpongeBob SquarePants-themed alternate broadcast of Saturday's match on Nickelodeon, with CBS Sports star Nate Burleson being accompanied in the booth by fan favorites SquarePants, Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks.

Cord-cutters can find all the action on Paramount+, as well as Fubo. Viewers in Canada can stream the game on DAZN.

NFL playoff schedule 2025

Wild-card round

Saturday, Jan. 11

MatchupTime (ET)TVLive stream
Texans vs. Chargers4:30 p.m.CBSFubo, Paramount+
Ravens vs. Steelers8 p.m.—Amazon Prime Video

Sunday, Jan. 12

MatchupTime (ET)TVLive stream
Bills vs. Broncos1 p.m.CBSFubo, Paramount+
Eagles vs. Packers4:30 p.m.FoxFubo
Buccaneers vs. Commanders8:15 p.m.NBCFubo, Peacock

Monday, Jan. 13

MatchupTime (ET)TVLive stream
Rams vs. Vikings8:15 p.m.ESPN, ABCFubo, ESPN+

Divisional round

Saturday, Jan. 18

MatchupTime (ET)TVLive stream
TBD vs. TBD4:30 p.m.TBDTBD, Fubo
TBD vs. TBD8:15 p.m.TBDTBD, Fubo

Sunday, Jan. 19

MatchupTime (ET)TVLive stream
TBD vs. TBD3 p.m.TBDTBD, Fubo
TBD vs. TBD6:30 p.m.TBDTBD, Fubo

Conference championships

Sunday, Jan. 26

MatchupTime (ET)TVLive stream
NFC championship game3 p.m.FoxFubo
AFC championship game6:30 p.m.CBSFubo, Paramount+

Super Bowl 59

Sunday, Feb. 9

MatchupTime (ET)TVLive stream
TBD vs. TBD6:30 p.m.FoxFubo

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David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.