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Nfl Playoff Picture How The Houston Texans Clinched A Playoff Berth In

Bonisiwe Shabane
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nfl playoff picture how the houston texans clinched a playoff berth in

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) The Houston Texans are riding a wave of momentum as the playoffs near. They're still alive in the race for the AFC South, a division they've won multiple times, and bolstered by the NFL's best defense, they're taking aim at earning their first berth in the AFC... C.J. Stroud threw for two long touchdowns on Houston's first two drives of the game, and the Texans went on to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 20-16 on Saturday to clinch a third consecutive playoff... “It’s what you fight for during the season, for an opportunity to be in the playoffs and go win it all,” Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said.

“We earned that. It wasn’t given to us. Our guys went out and earned it.” The Texans (11-5) won their eighth in a row, their longest such streak since winning nine straight in 2018. “To do something like that in this league is not easy,” rookie wide receiver Jaylin Noel said. “Any time you can stack wins like this is special and we just want to keep it going.

The coaches are pushing us to get better and everybody in the locker room is pushing to get better.” INGLEWOOD, California (KTRK) -- The Houston Texans are playoff-bound with their 20-16 win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday afternoon. To start the scoring column in the first quarter, Texans star quarterback C.J. Stroud connected with wideout Jayden Higgins on a 75-yard touchdown to give Houston the lead 7-0 over Los Angeles. Stroud later connected with rookie wide receiver Jaylin Noel for the 43-yard touchdown to boost the Texans' lead to 14-0 in the first quarter. Through the beginning of the second quarter, Texans' Stroud got intercepted by Chargers safety Derwin James.

Chargers placekicker Cameron Dicker made a 27-yard field goal to stop the bleeding with the Texans up 14-3 midway through the second quarter. Towards the end of the first half, Stroud threw his second interception to Chargers cornerback Elijah Molden. With a chance to narrow Houston's lead, Chargers' Dicker missed a 32-yard field goal attempt with 14 seconds left in the second quarter. The Texans led the Chargers 14-3 at halftime. For Houston, Stroud completed 10 of 18 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the first half. Concerning the Chargers, starting quarterback Justin Herbert completed 10 of 14 passes for 123 yards with one interception.

Midway in the third quarter, Texans placekicker Ka'imi Fairbairn hit a 63-yard field goal to give Houston a 17-3 lead over the Chargers. Toward the end of the third quarter, the Chargers responded after Herbert connected with Gadsden for the one-yard touchdown to trim Houston's lead to 17-10. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)

Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel, right, celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Nico Collins during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij) Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins (81) runs toward the end zone for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is sacked by Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij) INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The Houston Texans are riding a wave of momentum as the playoffs near.

They’re still alive in the race for the AFC South, a division they’ve won multiple times, and bolstered by the NFL’s best defense, they’re taking aim at earning their first berth in the AFC... The Houston Texans have beaten the Los Angeles Chargers 20-16 on the road, clinching a playoff berth. The Texans scored 14 of their 20 points in the opening 10 minutes of the game, as C.J. Stroud hit Jayden Higgins for a 75-yard touchdown and then Jaylin Noel for a 43-yard score. The Chargers fought back but were hampered by several backbreaking mistakes, including Pro Bowl kicker Cameron Dicker shockingly missing a 32-yard field goal and an extra point. The result keeps Houston in contention for the AFC South title while also eliminating the Indianapolis Colts from playoff contention.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles' loss clinches the AFC West title for the Denver Broncos. Share your reaction with us at live@theathletic.com. The Houston Texans are going to the playoffs for the third straight year. Houston clinched a postseason spot Saturday with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers. While expectations were once again high for the Texans entering the season after two straight AFC Divisional Round appearances, it didn't always look like they were heading to the playoffs. In fact, they lost their first three games of the 2025 campaign to the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars.

That was quite the hole to dig out of, and even a 3-2 mark in the next five games left them at 3-5 overall. That quarterback C.J. Stroud suffered a concussion in the loss to the Denver Broncos that dropped Houston's record to 3-5 made reaching the playoffs seem even more unlikely. The Texans’ defense is arguably football’s best in 2025. On Saturday, it proved why. Houston’s rearguard was fairly impenetrable in its Week 17 win over the Chargers.

The unit regularly breached Los Angeles’ protection, sending Justin Herbert to the canvas more times than most en route to a hard-fought victory. The win was a notable one for DeMeco Ryans’ side. Not only did it flex its might against another AFC contender, but the Texans also shook up the playoff bracket — if only briefly. Here’s what you need to know about Houston’s playoff picture following the win over Los Angeles. With their win on Saturday, the Texans dashed the Colts' postseason hopes. There's still plenty to play for among the sides who have punched their ticket to the postseason.

The Texans have a chance at capturing the AFC South title, although they'll need a minor collapse from the Jaguars to make their push for divisional supremacy turn into a reality. The Texans face the Chargers on Saturday. We break down what the game means for the NFL playoff picture in Week 17. Game result: The Texans beat the Chargers 20-16 on Saturday to clinch a playoff berth. They remain behind the Jaguars in the AFC South, but they cannot be eliminated from division contention if the Jaguars win on Sunday. The Chargers have already clinched a playoff berth, but the loss officially eliminates them from AFC West contention.

They drop to the No. 7 seed and with Houston holding the tiebreaker over them, it’s unlikely they get much higher in the seeding. Houston jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and looked like they might cruise to victory. They never fell behind, but LA fought back and cut the lead to one possession late in the fourth quarter. Special teams miscues once again cost them in the loss. They cut the lead to 20-16 and then missed a field goal.

They made a key illegal contact penalty on a third down sack and couldn’t get the ball back. The Los Angeles Chargers have already clinched a playoff spot. The Houston Texans can join them this weekend, starting when the two teams meet Saturday at SoFi Stadium. © 2025 BVM Sports. Best Version Media, LLC. Here's how the NFL playoff picture looks after Saturday's two games, which determined quite a bit playoff wise.

The Houston Texans' win over the Los Angeles Chargers clinched a playoff berth for the Texans, and eliminated the Indianapolis Colts. It also won the AFC West for the Denver Broncos. The Baltimore Ravens aren't out of it yet either after their win over the Green Bay Packers. That victory handed the Chicago Bears the NFC North title. The NFC playoff field is all set except for one slot: the NFC South champion, which is currently on pace to be the Carolina Panthers, but could still end up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 1.

Seattle Seahawks (12-3)*: Remaining schedule — at Carolina Panthers, at San Francisco 49ers Seahawks win + Rams loss or tie + 49ers-Bears tie Seahawks win + Rams loss or tie + 49ers loss or tie, OR

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