The Houston Texans return to NRG Stadium to face off against the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round on Saturday afternoon at NRG Stadium.

To preview the matchup, here are some key things to know about Houston.

How Houston finished the regular season

The Chargers finished with an 11-6 record, winning three of their last four games, including two by 14-plus points. Against playoff teams, Los Angeles posted a 3-4 record, including a 0-2 record against No. 1 seed Kansas City.

Luck Ladd

Justin Herbert is the headliner out west, but he’s had a reliable weapon in Ladd McConkey. The second-round pick out of Georgia has been a consistent target in the slot, averaging 5.2 catches per game and 14.0 yards a reception. He also has three 100-yard outings, including a career-best 123-yard performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Win on third down

The Chargers enter Saturday not only boasting the NFL’s top-scoring defense, but also featuring a top-five defense on third-down efficiency. Headlined by All-Pro safety Derwin James, Los Angeles is allowing opponents to convert on 35.7% of drives.

Houston, which is coming off a 23-14 win over the Tennessee Titans, ranked 20th in conversion rating at 37.6% per outing.

Red zone dominance

Bobby Slowik’s play-calling must be elite inside the 20. Los Angeles’ defense not only leads the league in scoring but also opposing red-zone touchdown percentage. Teams are scoring at a 44.6% success rate.

Slowing down Nick Bosa and Khalil Mack might be the key for Houston if it plans on scoring. The Bolts duo under new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter finished with 11 total sacks. Bud Dupree, the No. 3 rotational specialist, also recorded six sacks in 15 games.

Other notes

  • The Chargers are 10th  in third-down conversion rate and 3rd in turnover margin.
  • Herbert leads the NFL in touchdown-to-interception ratio with 23 passing TDs against 3 INTs
  • The Chargers have the second-fewest giveaways (14)
  • Los Angeles has allowed 44 sacks this season, 23 of which have come up from up the middle.
  • While a balanced offense, the Chargers are averaging 213.5 passing yards per game. Eight different players have caught a touchdown pass from Herbert.