The Houston Texans beat the Los Angeles Chargers 44-22 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, and every Houston touchdown came through the air. C.J. Stroud threw all of them. Houston averaged 10 yards per pass while the Chargers managed about 5, and that gap decided the game.
The Chargers actually ran the ball better, gaining 138 yards on the ground to Houston's 104. It did not matter. Houston sacked Los Angeles quarterbacks 8 times for 40 yards, while the Texans allowed just 1 sack.
How It Happened
Houston struck first at 10:16 of the first quarter when Stroud found Xavier Hutchinson for a 17-yard touchdown. Cameron Dicker answered with a 52-yard field goal, and Ka'imi Fairbairn matched him from 56 yards late in the quarter.
Dicker added field goals of 33 and 43 yards in the second quarter, keeping the Chargers close without finding the end zone. Then Stroud broke it open. He hit Tank Dell for a 63-yard touchdown at 4:28, and found Kayshon Boutte from 12 yards with 31 seconds left in the half.
The only score of the third quarter was a 13-yard Stroud pass to Nico Collins at 8:16. Los Angeles converted just 5 of 17 third downs on the day.
Boutte opened the fourth quarter by taking a Stroud pass 63 yards for a touchdown at 14:12. Justin Herbert answered with a 58-yard strike to Quentin Johnston, but the two-point pass failed. Fairbairn kicked a 31-yard field goal, DJ Uiagalelei threw a 15-yard touchdown to Derius Davis at 4:19, and Fairbairn closed the scoring from 41 yards with 2:20 left.
Key Performers
Houston Texans
Team passing: 22-37, 381 YDS, 1 INT
C.J. Stroud touchdown passes: 17 YDS to Xavier Hutchinson, 63 YDS to Tank Dell, 12 and 63 YDS to Kayshon Boutte, 13 YDS to Nico Collins
Kayshon Boutte: touchdown catches of 12 and 63 YDS
Ka'imi Fairbairn: field goals of 56, 31 and 41 YDS, plus every extra point
Los Angeles Chargers
Cameron Dicker: field goals of 52, 33 and 43 YDS, plus one extra point
Quentin Johnston: 58-YD touchdown catch from Justin Herbert
Team rushing: 30 ATT, 138 YDS
What It Means
Houston is now 3-5, and its season splits cleanly by venue. The Texans are 3-1 on the road and 0-4 at home. The home struggles have not followed them on the road, and Sunday was another example: 485 total yards and 8 of 14 third downs converted.
The split is the story of their season so far. A team that cannot win at home has to keep stacking road results like this one to climb out of a losing record, and the offense looked capable of doing exactly that.
The Chargers remain winless, both at home and on the road. They committed 9 penalties for 79 yards, turned the ball over twice and could not keep their quarterbacks upright. Settling for field goals instead of touchdowns will not change that record.