The Houston Texans’ path to a Super Bowl starts against a coach who won a national title the last time he stepped into the NRG Stadium.
The Texans welcome Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round following Week 18’s madness to end the regular season.
Houston (10-7) secured a 23-14 win over the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.
Los Angeles (11-6) defeated the Las Vegas Raiders at Alliegent Stadium behind a two-touchdown performance from Justin Herbert in a 34-20 victory.
Houston was locked into the No. 4 seed regardless of Sunday’s outcome in Nashville. After losing on Christmas Day to the Baltimore Ravens, Houston couldn’t improve over either AFC North franchise.
Our Wild Card Round opponent is set
pic.twitter.com/FA30UUsKpu
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 6, 2025
But the opponent that would travel down south remained a mystery entering Saturday afternoon. With a Pittsburgh Steelers victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, they would have clinched the No. 5 seed.
If Los Angeles would have lost in the AFC West showdown, Pittsburgh would have clinched the No. 5 seed since it won the head-to-head matchup against the Chargers earlier in the season.
The Chargers head to Houston with the No. 1 scoring defense, holding opponents to 17.7 points per game. They also feature a formidable pass-rushing duo in Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack while excelling in coverage behind All-Pro safety Derwin James.
Then, there’s Herbert. Under the new regime, the Pro Bowler has been a model of consistency in 2024. He’ll finish the regular season just shy of 4,000 passing yards with 23 touchdowns against three turnovers.
that’s our quarterback
| @nfloncbs pic.twitter.com/qzNO3giUAC
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 5, 2025
The Texans will have their hands full between a strong run game headlined by J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, plus an underrated receiver room. Second-round pick Ladd McConkey is fresh off a 1,000-yard season after hauling in over 80 passes from Herbert and seven touchdowns.
Former TCU star Quentin Johnston leads the team with eight touchdowns. Josh Palmer is the top weapon in yards per catch, averaging 15.5 yards a play.
A date and kickoff times have yet to be determined.