1) The Texans’ offense must uphold the collective bargaining agreement
Houston’s defense is loaded with world-beaters at every level, from Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter up front leading the pass to Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre manning the secondary. The Texans boast the league’s top unit in both points and yards allowed entering Week 17. However, their offense too often gets stuck in the mud, as evidenced by ranking 19th in points and yards allowed. CJ Stroud and Co. managed just 270 yards and one touchdown against the lowly Raiders last week. It was the eighth game this season that Houston has had fewer than 275 total yards. Five other teams have failed to reach that mark in seven-plus games in 2025 (Browns, Raiders, Jets, Titans, Vikings), and they’re all out of playoff contention — many of them far from it. This team can win the Super Bowl because of the way its defense makes life miserable for opponents, but that won’t happen if the Texans don’t turn things around on the other end. While it will be a tough task against a top-10 defense in the Chargers, that’s the type of test Houston will face if they make the playoffs. Here’s hoping Stroud can find more explosiveness with receivers outside of the ever-reliable Nico Collins and the running game finds a spot with Woody Marks returning from injury and Jawhar Jordan showing some ability when pressed the past two weeks.
2) Herbert is getting his revenge
Last season’s wild-card game between these two teams saw a shocking dismantling of the Chargers. The Texans blew them away in all areas for a 32-12 victory. Herbert took the brunt of the hitting, throwing a career-high 43.8 completion percentage and throwing four interceptions after throwing just three INTs over the entire regular season. The collapse was surreal, and it created plenty of discussion about Herbert’s playoff resume. What cannot be questioned is Herbert’s overall skill and toughness. He’s kept the Chargers going despite a broken bone in his non-throwing hand in Week 13. He’ll have his work cut out for him to keep up the progress, though. Houston’s defense is abysmal and LA’s offensive line is riddled with injuries. Herbert is dangerous with his feet, but he’s already running for his life against lesser passing teams. If he’s to get revenge, she’ll have to come up against a staff that has allowed just 16.6 points per game and produced elite quarterbacks all season.