Don’t let the Houston Texans get hot.
Oh wait, too late.
Behind a four-interception game by Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, including one returned for a touchdown by Eric Murray for a 36-yard touchdown, en route to a Texans’ 32-12 wild-card playoff victory.
“Our defense, they dominated today,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “And that’s who we want to be. They played our brand of football.”
Herbert threw only three interceptions in the regular season and had never thrown more than two in a game through five seasons. All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. finished with two interceptions. Murray scored a touchdown and rookie Kamari Lassiter kicked off the “golden sombrero” with a pick in the second quarter.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 282 yards and connected with Nico Collins for a 13-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. The second-year quarterback became the fifth player in league history to to win a playoff game in each of their first two seasons, joining Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, New York Jets’ Mark Sanchez, Seattle’s Russell Wilson and San Francisco’s Brock Purdy.
Collins collected seven receptions for 122 yards to break DeAndre Hopkins’ franchise playoff receiving record. Running back Joe Mixon ran for 106 yards and iced the game with a 17-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Pro Football Focus handed out player grades for those who took a snap in Houston’s dominant win, and we broke them down by offense and defense. Below are the five highest and lowest grades on both sides after what could be considered the Texans’ second straight wild-card round victory of the DeMeco Ryans era.
There were few surprises in terms of the highest- and lowest-graded players, both on offense and defense. In fact, most of you probably can’t guess since starters rarely saw action beyond the opening drive.
Here’s a look at Houston’s grades as it prepares to head to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round.