After starting 0-3, Texans relish being in playoffs

LOS ANGELES -- The Houston Texans clinched a playoff spot after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 20-16 on Saturday. Houston's win marked the seventh time in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) that a team has qualified for the postseason after an 0-3 start

The Texans, who also sat at 3-5, trailed by 19 points against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10 but rallied for a 36-29 victory. Since then, Houston has produced eight consecutive wins, its second-longest streak in franchise history (nine straight wins in 2018).

Saturday afternoon's win over Los Angeles was similar to some of the adversity Houston (11-5) faced throughout the season. After the Texans jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, their offense stalled, and Houston never reached the end zone again. The offense and defense sustained injuries. Cornerback Kamari Lassiter suffered a knee injury, and All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. aggravated his oblique.

Still, Houston's offense scored just enough after its hot start, and the injuries to the Texans' cornerbacks were minor.

"We knew this was the game to punch our ticket to get into the playoffs," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. "A lot of guys were dealing with pain, injuries, guys went down on the field. I go talk to Kamari [Lassiter], he's coming up to me [saying] 'Coach, there's no way I'm coming out of this game.' That's the mindset of all of our guys. It's all on the line."

This is the third straight playoff berth for Ryans since becoming Houston's coach in 2023. And regardless of the Texans' record, Ryans' faith never wavered because he knew what "these guys are about."

"I know how they work throughout training camp, when nobody's watching," Ryans said. "I know how close our team got throughout training camp and throughout the season. I know how we just have guys who are true believers, who are unwavering in their faith, guys who come to work every single day, put in the work no matter what they're saying on the outside."

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud started the first quarter with two long touchdown passes to his two rookie wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Higgins capped the first drive with a 75-yard reception, and Noel hauled in a 43-yard scoring pass to highlight the second possession.

"They played a solid shell defense," Stroud said. "So, we kind of knew that and came up with some good plays and designed some good plays just to pick on that. We got to keep that going. It can't just be in the first quarter; it's got to be throughout the whole game. So, there's something we can learn from is just keeping the gas on."

Houston's offense was rolling as Stroud had 151 passing yards in the opening quarter. But then, the unit slowed down as Stroud threw two interceptions, and the group finished with only 191 yards to finish the game.

Stroud finished 16-of-28 for 244 passing yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, marking his first career game with multiple 40-yard-plus touchdown passes.

When it mattered most, Houston's offense drove into field goal range twice in the second half, and kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn nailed two field goals.

And when Houston led 20-16 with 3:32 remaining in the game, the offense gained three first downs on the final possession to ensure the Chargers' offense, led by quarterback Justin Herbert, didn't get another possession. Herbert finished 21-of-32 for 236 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception while getting sacked five times and pressured on 38.1% of his dropbacks.

Houston's offensive resilience is what pleased Ryans the most postgame.

"I feel like C.J. [Stroud] did an outstanding job," Ryans said. "Even though he had some picks early, he continued to battle. We continue to throw the ball and continue to make some good decisions with the ball. I like how we faced adversity and overcame it. ... So, I'm proud of the offense, for the way they battle all day."

Houston's win eliminated the Indianapolis Colts from playoff contention, marking the first team to miss the playoffs after starting 8-2 or better since the 1995 Raiders. The Texans host the Colts in their season finale, with Houston fixated on the AFC South title as it trails the Jaguars by one game in the division.

If Houston defeats the Colts next week and the Jaguars (11-4) lose either one of their two upcoming games against the Colts or Tennessee Titans, the Texans will win the AFC South for the third consecutive season.

If both teams finish at 12-5, the tiebreaker would go to Houston because it would have a 5-1 divisional record, while Jacksonville would have finished 4-2 if it loses to either the Colts or Titans.