Rex Ryan might have been on a break.
The Houston Texans were only heating up.
Behind a four-interception afternoon from Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, including a 38-yard pick-six from Eric Murray, the Houston Texans were the first to punch their ticket to the AFC Divisional Round with a 32-12 victory at NRG Stadium.
The 32-point swing marked the most points scored by the Texans since the 34-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11.
After a sluggish offensive start, C.J. Stroud got into a rhythm. It took a muffed snap and an eventual 34-yard pass to Xavier Hutchinson to kick the offense into high gear. Houston (11-7) capped off its 99-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Stroud to Nico Collins.
YESSIRKSIIIIIIIII 🚀
📺: @Nickelodeon and @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/OOt2Ic9bi4
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 12, 2025
Stroud finished with 282 passing yards and a touchdown pass against one interception. Collins, who caught seven passes for 122 yards, surpassed DeAndre Hopkins as the all-time single-game leader in receiving yards for a playoff game.
Herbert constantly was under pressure thanks to a potent pass rush headlined by Will Anderson Jr. His 2.5 sacks mark the most by a Texans player since J.J. Watt in 2019’s wild-card round matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
ABSOLUTELY ELECTRIC ‼️
📺: @Nickelodeon and @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/XO4Op75vRa
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 12, 2025
Herbert’s first interception was on a deep pass to rookie Kamari Lassiter in the second quarter. His second came in the third quarter, leading to Murray’s return and Houston’s two-score lead.
The Pro Bowler was picked off again on the ensuing drive while trying to find tight end Will Dissly, only this time by Derek Stingley Jr. Two drives later, Stingley called ballgame with his second pick of the half.
SAY IT WITH US…. 🗣️
📺: @Nickelodeon and @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/gcUnlXqwtU
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 12, 2025
Herbert finished 14-of-32 passing for 242 yards with a 40.9 passer rating.
Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon was named the “NVP” by Nickelodeon after rushing for 106 yards on 25 carries. His 17-yard touchdown run with 3:43 left was the icing on the cake for the afternoon.
The Texans now await the winners of the rest of the wild-card weekend to determine where they’ll play in the divisional round.
