INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — CJ Stroud’s dynamic first quarter was just the opening act for the Houston Texans.
The defense is making headlines again.
The Texans recorded five sacks in a 20-16 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, extending Houston’s winning streak to eight games and advancing to its third straight playoff berth for the first time in franchise history.
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“These guys have been lighting up every game all year long,” Texans coach DeMeco Rains said. “But the D-line performance today was sack after sack after sack, and it really put pressure on the quarterback, and it was cool to see a lot of different guys get sacked.”
Defensive end Derek Barnett had two more sacks after playing three times in the first 15 games. Danielle Hunter and Denico Autry also had sacks, while Henry To’oTo’o had a team-high 12 tackles, including one for a loss.
“Everyone is involved,” Ryans said. “We needed them to play well today and they did.”
Houston enters Week 17 with 273.3 yards allowed per game and 16.6 points allowed per game, which ranks first in the NFL. They held the Chargers to a slightly below-average performance.
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On Houston’s third possession of the game, Stroud threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to rookie Jaden Higgins and a 43-yard score to rookie Jaylin Noel to end the team’s second possession. Less than six minutes into the game, the Texans led 14-0.
“It gives us confidence, man,” safety K’Von Wallace said. “We can be more aggressive. We can take more chances. When your quarterback goes dark like that, throws the ball and gets explosive, you want to do whatever you can to limit the opponent’s explosiveness. I felt like we did a really good job of that today.”
The Chargers were limited to field goals in the first half and didn’t reach the end zone until the end of the third quarter.
“They were outstanding,” said Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who finished with 236 yards passing. “We have nothing but respect for them and the way they compete and fly and play for each other.”
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Flying to the ball is the essence of what the Texans defense is about.
“Man, our ball brand really only has one word, and that’s ‘Swarm,'” defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said. “No matter what happens, good or bad, everyone is swarming. I think we talked about how we’ve been brainwashed into swarming. It’s in everyone’s mind. You step onto that ground and you’re swarming.”
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