Will the Chargers roll over the Texans?

In the duel Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers a bet on the team from Los Angeles seems very attractive, because they need every win in the fight for a wildcard ticket in the AFC. A look at the playoff picture shows how important a win is. Currently, there are four teams besides Los Angeles with an 8-6 record. Those five franchises are vying for four wild-card spots.

The Texans are in second-to-last place in the AFC with three wins from 14 games. At least they had a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.

The Chargers’ offense has been convincing in recent weeks. If we roll through the stat book for this game, it quickly becomes clear that the signs of both teams almost couldn’t be more different. While L.A. averages 27.1 points per game, making them a top-7 team in that category, Houston ranks 31st with a meagre 14.8 points.

However, both teams allow an average of over 26 points. That, in turn, makes the odds on over-points very interesting in the Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers duel.

The game kicks off at 7:05pm at NRG Stadium in Houston. It will be broadcast live on DAZN’s Redzone.

Texans – Statistics & current form

Nearly all experts predicted a difficult year for the team from Texas and they should be right. Until the bye week in week ten, they won only one game. After an injury to starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor, his backup and rookie Davis Mills took over. After overcoming injury, Taylor started against the Titans as they picked up their second win of the season. However, he was benched in the 31-0 loss to Indianapolis. Since then, the Texans have relied on Mills again. The former Stanford quarterback picked up his first NFL win last week. With a 3-11 record, the Texans are 15th in the AFC.

The Texans and the upheaval

After winning only four games in the 2020 season, it was clear that a shakeup had to happen. Among other things, they parted ways with star defensive end J. J. Watt, who left for Arizona. In addition, other important personnel announced their departures. T. Taylor was named as a replacement for quarterback D. Watson, who was willing to leave. However, he has more “NFL high-end backup potential” in comparison and probably no one saw him as the permanent answer to the quarterback question.

Sporting below average

No part of the team on the Houston Texans can be called “good”. They put up the worst rushing offense with 77 yards per game and the second worst passing offense with 188 yards per game. The defence allows the most rushing yards and the second most rushing touchdowns in the league. Only the passing defense can be considered okay. Mills will also lead the Texans on the field in Week 16. In his ten games for the Texans, he completed 65% of his passes, threw for ten touchdowns and nine interceptions. Overall, however, one can attest to his positive development.

Key Players:
QB: Davis Mills
RB: David Johnson
WR: Brandin Cooks
TE: Jordan Akins
K: Ka’imi Fairbairn

Chargers – stats & current form

The Chargers decided to make a change in the coaching staff during the offseason. They brought in a new head coach in Brandon Staley and a new offensive coordinator in Joe Lombardi. For parts of the season, the offense looked like it was limiting second-year quarterback Justin Herbert. Compared to the previous year, the shaky offensive line was stabilised with draft pick R. Slawter and the signing of former Packers centre C. Linsley. With a 6-5 record after week 12, the team could only be satisfied to a certain extent. Since week 13, however, the performances have been consistently convincing. Although they lost the divisional rematch against the Chiefs in overtime last week and are therefore unlikely to win the AFC West this year, this performance gave them courage for the tasks ahead.

35 points average in the past three games

This sounds like high scoring offense and yes, to some extent the Chargers offense is just that. Add to that the fact that they even let up a few points against the Chiefs, due to aggressive playcalling. Quarterback Herbert made headlines with a 75-yard touchdown pass in the game against New York. The ball was reportedly 71 yards in the air. This once again underlines his arm talent. In the Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers game, our prediction is that he will use his strong arm to attack the vulnerable Houston secondary multiple times. Also, offensive tackle R. Slawter returns from injury and will add stability to the offensive line.

The defence as Achilles heel?

Since week five, the Chargers have allowed at least two touchdowns per game to opponents in every game. To that end, all opponents have scored at least 21 points in that span. L.A. is especially vulnerable against the run. They currently have the fourth-worst rushing defence. The defence will also be weakened against Houston by the loss of Joey Bosa. With a total of 370 points allowed, they are also in the bottom third of the league in this statistic.

Key Players:
QB: Justin Herbert
RB: Austin Ekeler
WR: Keenan Allen
TE: Jared Cook
K: Dustin Hopkins

Houston Texans – Los Angeles Chargers Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

Since 2010, the duel has taken place four times in the regular season. A parallel in all four games? In each case the away team won. In the current edition of the matchup Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers, we also dare to predict a handicap victory for the visitors.

For the Californians, it is all about their first play-off appearance since 2018. They go into the game as clear favourites and cannot afford to slip up. Their past performances have been extremely promising. It is likely that the Chargers will want to send another statement to the competition.

Texans – Chargers Tip

There are few things in favour of the home team on Sunday. That’s why we recommend betting on a clear victory for the visitors in the game Houston Texans vs Los Angeles Chargers. Both defenses are absolutely vulnerable. It is realistic that both offenses will move the ball and score. However, L.A. clearly has the better quarterback and the better playmakers. Over the duration of the game, the Texans offense will not be able to match the pace set by the Chargers offense. There’s a lot to be said for the West Coast boys breaking 30, maybe even 35 points.

Because we expect an offensively dominated game, it is also recommended to keep an eye on the betting odds on over-points between the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers.

Also, expect L.A. running back Austin Ekeler to have a good game. In the Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers game, we therefore additionally recommend the odds on a touchdown from him. He already has ten rushing touchdowns to his name, making him one of the top running backs in the NFL.