Stroud Throws Five Touchdowns as the Texans Rout the Chargers 44-22 at SoFi
Houston's best offensive day of the season was a rout. C.J. Stroud threw for 384 yards and five touchdowns - two of them 63-yarders - the defense sacked Justin Herbert's side eight times, and the Texans beat the winless Chargers 44-22 for their third win in four games.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The Houston Texans played their most complete game of the season on Sunday, beating the Los Angeles Chargers 44-22 at SoFi Stadium behind a career-tying five touchdown passes from C.J. Stroud, Reuters reports. Stroud finished 21 of 35 for 384 yards with one interception, and Houston piled up a season-best 485 yards of offense while its defense totaled eight sacks. The Texans (3-5) have now won three of their last four after an 0-4 start.
The scoring came from everywhere. Stroud opened the game with a 73-yard drive ending in Xavier Hutchinson's 17-yard touchdown, hit Tank Dell for 63 yards less than a minute after Los Angeles had cut the lead to 10-9 on field goals, and found Kayshon Boutte for 12 yards just before halftime to make it 24-9. In the second half he added a 13-yarder to Nico Collins and a second 63-yard strike to Boutte, who finished with two scores and 125 yards on four catches. Dell's long touchdown came in his second game back after 22 months recovering from a serious knee injury.
Los Angeles (0-8) extended the worst start in franchise history. The Chargers' touchdown drought reached 12 quarters - going back to the fourth quarter of Week 5 - before Justin Herbert connected with Quentin Johnston on a 58-yard score with 12:47 remaining. Herbert finished 13 of 23 for 193 yards and has now been sacked 31 times this season; he sat out the closing minutes favoring a finger on his non-throwing hand, and backup DJ Uiagalelei made his NFL debut, throwing a 15-yard touchdown to Derius Davis. The Chargers played without top receiver Ladd McConkey, who was scratched with back spasms in warmups.
Houston did it, as Friday's final injury report said it would, without safety Reed Blankenship and running back David Montgomery - and it did not matter. Ka'imi Fairbairn's 41-yard field goal closed the scoring. Next up, the Texans travel to Cleveland next Sunday; the Chargers go to Baltimore still looking for their first win. Three weeks ago this Houston season looked finished. At 3-5 with the offense finally whole, it looks merely difficult - which, in November, is another word for alive.
