Playoff football is on the horizon.
The Chargers will meet the Texans on Saturday in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. Kickoff from Houston’s NRG Stadium is at 1:30 p.m. (PT).
We chatted with Drew Dougherty, the host of Texans TV, for an inside look at the Bolts Wild Card opponent.
What’s the general vibe around the Texans heading into Saturday’s matchup?
They’re confident. Houston trotted the starters out in Sunday’s regular season finale, and quarterback C.J. Stroud completed all six of his passes, with the final one being a touchdown toss to wide receiver Nico Collins. Running back Joe Mixon carried five times for 23 yards. The defense answered with a 3-and-out, and backup Davis Mills and several reserve players cruised home the rest of the way for a win. They know they must play better, and they know the Chargers are a mighty test. But they’ve been in this situation before — Wild Card hosts — and triumphed.
C.J. Stroud is undoubtedly the face of the franchise in Houston. How did Year 2 go for him and how much will last year’s playoff experience help him this weekend?
Stroud played great in Year 2, but it was a much tougher go than his rookie campaign of 2023. He was sacked 52 times, picked off 12 times after throwing just five interceptions last year, and his passer rating and passing yards per game stats took hits. That happened for a variety of reasons, but he still managed to guide this team to 10 wins and make big-time throws in every single contest. In his lone postseason game at NRG Stadium last year, Stroud was sublime. He tossed three touchdown passes, completed 76.2 percent of his throws and guided Houston to a 45-14 win. The week after, he and the Texans struggled at Baltimore in the Divisional Round, but he’s been through the postseason experience and knows what it can be like.