Overview
- Los Angeles is 11-4 and already in the playoffs, and a win over Houston would set up a winner-take-all AFC West finale at Denver thanks to the Chargers' head-to-head tiebreaker.
- Houston is 10-5, riding a seven-game win streak, and can clinch a postseason berth with a victory at SoFi Stadium.
- The Texans lead the league in scoring and total defense, with edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter and corner Derek Stingley Jr. headlining a takeaway-rich unit.
- Protection remains a Chargers concern after last year’s Wild Card loss featured four sacks and pressure on 39% of Justin Herbert’s dropbacks, and their pass-block win rate ranks last this season.
- Herbert emphasized ball security, third-down conversions and red-zone scoring as priorities, while betting markets list Los Angeles as a slight favorite and analysts’ picks are split.