HOUSTON – Besides delivering enough hard hits to topple Los Angeles Chargers towering quarterback Justin Herbert and punish his body, the Texans’ dominant defense also got inside his head in a major way.
The Texans’ defense flexed its collective muscle Saturday against Herbert, delivering a dominant performance in a convincing AFC wild-card round playoff victory at NRG Stadium to advance to the AFC divisional round. They intercepted Herbert a career-high four times for one more than his entire regular-season total. He was the least intercepted passer in the NFL this season with just three interceptions before this playoff meltdown.
Recommended Videos
All-Pro Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. picked off Herbert twice.
“Our defense, they dominated,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “That’s who we want to be. They played our brand of football. Most proud of how we stopped the run. You make teams one-dimensional, and that’s when our D-line causes havoc. Very proud of our D-line, but more so proud of our DBs.”
The 11-7 Texans won in convincing fashion, manufacturing a 32-12 blowout win in the AFC wild-card round by leaning heavily on a staple of their AFC South championship roster: a defense engineered by Ryans, the architect of a brilliant game plan.
And Herbert and coach Jim Harbaugh had zero answers for the kind of defensive excellence displayed by the Texans.
That included Murray capitalizing on an errant throw from Herbert intended for rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey that he intercepted and returned 38 yards for a touchdown. After the game, Murray was awarded the game ball he held at his locker.
The score boosted the Texans’ advantage to 20-6 with 13 seconds to go in the third quarter.
And this marked Murray’s first playoff interception, and he did so by staying alert and jumping a Herbert pass against zone coverage.
“Routine, little high-low in front of me, read the quarterback’s eyes, went in to make the tackle and ball went through his hands, caught it and tried to get to the end zone,” Murray told KPRC 2. “Make a score for the team. I think from the foundation we built since Day One and how close this team is we know what we in the room. Everyone has ups and downs during the season. That’s why it’s a season. As long as you’re able to correct those thing and capitalize off of these moments, that’s all that matters.”
#Texans safety Eric Murray holding his pick six football after playoff victory @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/dZJWFdbsiQ
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 12, 2025
Already this season, the Texans has rendered some impressive quarterbacks quite ordinary.
In a win over the Buffalo Bills, their only other win over a team with a winning record as they went 1-5 in the regular season against teams with plus .500 marks, the Texans limited Josh Allen to 9 of 30 passing.
Against Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, they picked him off five times as he went 15 for 30 overall.
Against Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the Texans intercepted him three times and he completed just 12 of 29 throws.
Now, Herbert is their latest victim as he went 14 for 32 and lost four turnovers.
“It’s a team effort,” Murray said. “Look at who we have up there on the front. Those are some big, scary rushing dudes. When they get going, quarterbacks get skittish back there. It’s a credit to them and it definitely matriculates to the back end. That’s why we have all those interceptions.”
A replacement for injured safety Jimmie Ward, Murray, a former Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs player who was on injured reserve last season during the playoffs, is finding his stride as a starter again.
“Just what I’ve been trying to get done my whole career, in and out of the starting lineup,” Murray said. “Trying to have some consistency for myself on the defensive side of the ball and beginning to show that and what I continue to aim to do. It was a long time coming.”
Texans rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter intercepted Herbert once, cutting off a deep ball intended for wide receiver Quentin Johnston and delivered some jolting tackles.
He is the second rookie in franchise history to intercept a pass in a playoff game, joining J.J. Watt, who did so in 2011 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Cold,” Stingley said of the standout rookie’s performance. “I don’t even think he didn’t give up a catch? Nothing, nothing. He different. He is different. I’m proud of him.”
And Stingley was stellar. His standard of play is extremely high. He now has seven interceptions for the season, including five during the regular season, and a total of a dozen combined over the past two seasons. His eventual payday from the Texans will be a blockbuster deal that could make him the highest paid cornerback in the history of the NFL.
#Texans All-Pro corner Derek Stingley Jr., @stingjr on two interceptions against #Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, four total as a defense @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/gHjKXfRZKB
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 12, 2025
“Coverage comes down to reading who’s in front of you, eliminating certain things and playing what you see,” Stingley said. “As a unit, we just go out there and play. Get the ball. It’s just going out there and executing. We’ve got to do it again, so we’ve got to keep it going.”
The Texans’ defensive line contributed four sacks. The defense had nine quarterback hits and five tackles for losses as the Chargers went 3 for 11 on third downs and 0 for 1 on fourth down. They averaged just 2.8 yards per run.
“Our entire D-line, they really cut it loose and got a lot of pressure on the quarterback,” Ryans said. “Every guy, from Will (Anderson Jr.) to Denico (Autry), everybody. Mario (Edwards) with the sack. All across the board, those guys were rushing together. They were disciplined with their rush lanes, everybody did a great job of keeping Herbert in the pocket, and they were able to get him down several times.”
The Texans’ opportunistic defense took the football away repeatedly. It was a combination of an untimely playoff meltdown by a normally precise and careful passer and some alert, ball-hawking, instinctive style of play by the Texans.
“The edge pressure, those are really the best we’ve seen,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said of Anderson, Danielle Hunter, Autry and Edwards. “The pressure on the edge, the pass rush was outstanding.”
Murray intercepted Herbert in the third quarter and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown as he exploited an errant, overthrown pass by the Chargers quarterback. That gave the Texans a 20-6 lead they wouldn’t surrender.
The Texans harassed Herbert into a series of miscues. He completed just 13 of 28 passes for 233 yards, one late touchdown pass to McConkey, and a 47.8 passer rating.
“It is tough,” Herbert said. “I let the team down. You can’t turn over the ball like that and expect to win. I put the team in a tough decision with four turnovers. The defense hung tough they got us some turnovers. They gave us opportunities, but I just have to be better.”
How quarterback C.J. Stroud put his imprint on Texans as a leader for playoff game against Chargers
The first cornerback in franchise history to achieve All-Pro status, Stingley Jr. intercepted his sixth and seventh passes of the season.
One of the most exciting plays in the game happened in the fourth quarter as Herbert’s 86-yard pass to McConkey for a touchdown was followed by defensive end Denico Autry blocking Cameron Dicker’s extra point. Reserve cornerback D’Angelo Ross, a special-teams ace, picked up the loose football and returned it all the way for a two-point conversion.
As the offense overcame a rough start that didn’t include enough throws to star wide receiver Nico Collins and quarterback C.J. Stroud being intercepted once, they got going in the second quarter after Stroud, a former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, transformed a broken play into a 33-yard gain. He recovered a bad snap by center Jarrett Patterson, picking it up on the hop and scrambling to the sideline to lob a throw to wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson. That set the stage for his touchdown pass to Collins.
Stroud took over the game after his slow start that was contributed to by a lost fumble on the first play of scrimmage by wide receiver John Metchie III.
Stroud began connecting with Collins, hitting him seven times for 122 yards on eight targets after he didn’t throw to him in the first quarter.
Stroud completed 22 of 33 passes for 282 yards, one touchdown and one interception by Chargers All-Pro safety Derwin James. He overcame three sacks and had a 90.7 passer rating.
‘Their best against our best,’: Texans line faces challenge against stout, talented Chargers defense
The Texans’ running game overcame a slow start as running back Joe Mixon rushed for 106 yards on 25 carries while Stroud scrambled for 44 yards on four carries, including a 27-yard run up the middle when the pocket was collapsing.
Stroud was poised and accurate, leading his team to an AFC wild-card round win and a spot in the divisional round for the second year in a row.
And Mixon pounded the Chargers for extra yards at the end of the game, hitting paydirt in the fourth quarter on a 17-yard touchdown run.
MERCH: Gearing up for the Houston Texans playoff game with new food and merch items
It was a thorough demolishing of an 11-win team known for its mistake-free football in the first year of veteran coach Jim Harbaugh.
On Saturday, the Texans reversed a lot of trends and traditions and they won the game as defense, offense and special teams all complemented each other for the playoff win.
Stingley put an exclamation point on the unraveling of Herbert as he intercepted him for a fourth time late in the fourth quarter as another overthrow was exploited by the Texans’ defense.
“Stingley’s been outstanding all year,” Ryans said. “Steps up again for us today, gets two picks when we needed them most. He made outstanding plays.”
- Search for the KPRC 2+ app on your smart TV or streaming device - including Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Google TV.
- Get the new KPRC 2+ mobile app - which is free to download in the App Store or on Google Play.
- Watch at Click2Houston.com/watchlive.
- Look for the KPRC 2+ livestream in the “Watch Live” section of the Click2Houston news app.
READ MORE:
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
