HOUSTON — Derek Stingley says the Texans goal to pressure three turnovers a sport.
On Saturday towards the Los Angeles Chargers, they surpassed that purpose with the All-Professional cornerback grabbing two of Justin Herbert’s career-high 4 interceptions to assist Houston roll to a 32-12 wild-card playoff victory.
“We’re simply going on the market enjoying like we’ve acquired to get the ball to win,” Stingley mentioned.
Eric Murray returned one of many interceptions for a landing and C.J. Stroud threw a TD go in Houston’s win.
For the reason that merger, quarterbacks are 55-551-2 when throwing 4 or extra interceptions within the common season and simply 3-33 when doing so within the playoffs.
“I let the workforce down,” Herbert mentioned. “You’ll be able to’t flip over the ball like that and anticipate to win. I put the workforce in a troublesome place there with 4 turnovers like that.”
It’s the second straight 12 months Stroud and the Texans (11-7) received within the first spherical after they beat Cleveland final season.
“It hasn’t all the time been simple this 12 months,” Stroud mentioned. “However that is simply one other factor that we will use to encourage us much more.”
Herbert threw simply three interceptions within the common season and had by no means thrown greater than two in a sport earlier than going through a Texans secondary led by Stingley. Rookie Kamari Lassiter had the opposite choose.
The Texans made Herbert uncomfortable within the pocket all day, sacking him 4 instances and hitting him one other 9.
“Our defence, they dominated right now,” coach DeMeco Ryans mentioned. “And that’s who we wish to be. They performed our model of soccer.”
The Chargers (11-7), who returned to the playoffs underneath first-year coach Jim Harbaugh, misplaced within the wild-card spherical for a second straight time after additionally shedding within the 2022 season to stay with no postseason win since 2018.
Harbaugh, who received a nationwide championship with Michigan in Houston final January, took the blame for the loss.
“They have been the higher workforce right now,” he mentioned. “All respect to them. Not being the higher workforce right now, I’m accountable for that. That’s on me.”
Stroud threw for 282 yards with the landing go to Nico Collins and an interception. Stroud joined Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, the New York Jets’ Mark Sanchez, Seattle’s Russell Wilson and San Francisco’s Brock Purdy as quarterbacks to win playoff begins in every of their first two seasons.
Collins completed with seven catches for 122 yards to set a franchise playoff file. Joe Mixon ran for 106 yards and a rating. D’Angelo Ross returned a blocked additional level for 2 factors for Houston within the fourth quarter.
Herbert was 14 of 32 for 242 yards with a 40.9 passer ranking.
Issues appeared unhealthy early for the Texans, who fumbled on their first offensive play and have been down 6-0 with a couple of minute left within the first half.
However Stroud threw a 13-yard landing go to Collins to place the Texans on high. Ka’imi Fairbairn added a 41-yard area purpose to provide Houston a 10-6 lead into halftime.
They have been up 13-6 when Murray scored his first profession landing on a 38-yard interception return late within the third quarter.
Herbert was picked off once more on the following drive when Stingley grabbed a go that was tipped off tight finish Will Dissly. The third general choose within the 2022 draft intercepted Herbert once more late within the fourth quarter.
Herbert discovered Ladd McConkey for an 86-yard landing reception to chop the Chargers’ deficit to 23-12 within the fourth quarter. However Cameron Dicker’s extra-point try was blocked and returned by Ross to make it 25-12.
A 17-yard run by Mixon prolonged Houston’s benefit to 32-12 with about 4 minutes to go.
The Chargers have been up by three after a area purpose on their first drive when John Metchie fumbled after a catch on Houston’s first offensive play and it was recovered by Derwin James.
Dicker added a 39-yard area purpose on the following drive to make it 6-0.
Deane Leonard intercepted Stroud early within the second quarter, however Lassiter picked off Herbert on the following play to provide Houston the ball again. However the Texans couldn’t transfer the ball and punted.
Stroud and Houston’s offence lastly acquired one thing going as Houston was going through third-and-16 from its 17 when Stroud fumbled the snap and it rolled 4 yards behind him. He scooped it up and evaded the push to search out Xavier Hutchinson for a 34-yard acquire.
“That was an impressive play,” Ryans mentioned. “To me that was the play of the sport that basically created momentum for our total workforce.”
“It grabbed fairly a little bit of momentum,” he mentioned. “It’s my job, our job, to get the momentum again.”
Stroud related with Collins on a 37-yard reception two performs later to get the Texans within the purple zone. He discovered Collins once more on third-and-11 to cap the 99-yard drive and put Houston on high 7-6 a couple of minute earlier than halftime.
The Texans compelled a punt to get the ball again with 27 seconds left within the second quarter. A season-best 27-yard run by Stroud acquired the Texans to the Los Angeles 36. The quarterback beat his chest and screamed after taking a tough hit on the finish of the run.
Chargers: LB Denzel Perryman injured an elbow within the first quarter and didn’t return. … CB Cam Hart injured a shoulder.
The Texans transfer on to the divisional spherical for the sixth time, the place they’ll attempt to advance to the AFC championship sport for the primary time in franchise historical past.