HOUSTON -- The road to the Lombardi Trophy officially commences Saturday afternoon in Houston, Texas.
The Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) have never hoisted the 7-pound piece of silver in franchise history, but this weekend presents the first step in an opportunity to create new history. While this playoff game kicks off at the home of the Houston Texans (10-7), the Chargers will represent their home of Los Angeles with heavy hearts due to the tragic fires which devastated millions back home.
The Chargers progressed to this illustrious stage thanks to the hire of first-year head coach and 2023 collegiate national champion Jim Harbaugh who is no stranger to orchestrating impressive turnarounds. Harbaugh immediately shifted the narrative at every coaching stop, wasting no time in turning Stanford, the San Francisco 49ers, Michigan, and now the Chargers into contenders.
Harbaugh and the Chargers formed a perfect marriage, winning eight of their final 11 games to qualify for the franchise’s fourth playoff appearance since 2010. What the head coach brought to the organization more than anything was increased physicality in the trenches. The Chargers adopted a brand of bully ball for the 2024 season — a brand which was heavily showcased by the offensive and defensive lines. Offensively, drafting left tackle Joe Alt and acquiring J.K. Dobbins made for a much more effective run game, a feature Los Angeles severely lacked during its last playoff appearance in 2022.
On the other side, the Chargers’ first-ranked scoring defense stymied opponents with one of the league’s best pass rushes. Nine-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack and talented outside linebacker led the charge, and stellar play on the interior from newcomer Poona Ford helped change the entire complexion of the unit.
Amidst all the change, one key constant returns from the Chargers’ last playoff appearance in 2022 — a brief postseason run that concluded in a gut-wrenching 27-0 squandered lead in Jacksonville. Franchise quarterback Justin Herbert aims to rebound from that game as he prepares for his second playoff start, and he has certainly reinvented himself since that moment. Herbert didn’t post one of his typical electrifying 4,500-yard passing seasons, but he played some of the most mature and efficient football of his career. With rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey providing a much-needed assistance to his receiving corps, Herbert manufactured a touchdown to interception ratio of 23-to-3, ranking first in the NFL in lowest interception percentage.
The quarterback countering Herbert on the other sideline knows something about preventing interceptions as well. Texans second-year starter C.J. Stroud led the NFL in that category in 2023, and although his numbers took a dip across the board this year, the quarterback comfortably wrapped up his second NFC South division title in Houston. Already possessing two games of playoff experience, Stroud arrives armed with impressive skill position talent, featuring a 1,000-yard rusher in Joe Mixon and one of the league’s most talented receivers in Nico Collins — who must step up to lead a position group plagued by injury.
Where the Texans’ offense struggled most in 2024 was keeping Stroud upright. The offensive line tied for third most sacks allowed this season, forcing the quarterback under duress quite often in the pocket. But Houston reconciled for its offensive line lapses with elite defensive play up front. The Texans’ defense (fifth in fewest yards allowed) checked in at fourth in most sacks dished out, led by free agent acquisition Danielle Hunter and second-year phenom Will Anderson Jr. That pressure went hand-in-hand with high interception outputs, and the Texans were able to flip fields regularly with the reliable playmaking of defensive backs Derek Stingley Jr. and Calen Bullock.
The Texans are no stranger to starting the Playoffs on Saturday afternoons. This is the franchise’s eighth postseason appearance and all eight initiated with a Saturday afternoon kickoff — posting a 5-2 record in its previous showings. Homefield advantage belongs to the Texans, but the Chargers take the road as the betting favorite with the better overall record in the first-ever playoff meeting between these teams.