Chargers' offense sputtered, defense couldn't contain explosive Texans passes. Key stats reveal a lopsided battle, even with a late surge.
In a matchup between two NFL teams on impressive winning streaks, the Los Angeles Chargers were hopeful that a homefield advantage could be the difference against the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon.
Instead, the NFL Network's Rich Eisen couldn't help but out out that you "could hear a pin drop in this stadium" when the Chargers fell behind 14-0 barely halfway through the first quarter.
I think, from that point on, the Chargers played fairly well. That being said, it's hard to beat a team that is viewed as being your equal when you spot them two touchdowns out of the gate. I also think the referees were doing them no favors.
Here are the three stats that tell some of the stories you'd need to know coming out of this game:
29 rushing yards
Justin Herbert was, as per usual, running for his life in this one. As such, he wound up the Chargers' leading rusher on the day, with 37 yards on 6 carries.
The leading rusher not named Justin Herbert? Omarion Hampton, who picked up 29 rushing yards on 14 carries, including a touchdown. That's good for a 2.1 YPA, which was not enough to keep opposing defenses from pinning back their ears and going after the QB.
75 rec yards & 43 rec yards
Unfortunately, this game was probably over after the first three drives of the game. The Chargers offense is a little too hindered at the moment, with the offensive line in shambles and Justin Herbert just trying to avoid further injury, and they started the game three-and-out. That came between an opening Texans drive that quickly ended in a 75-yard touchdown pass on 3rd & 1...
and their second drive, which ended on the fourth play with a 43-yard touchdown pass...
An early 14-0 lead allowed the Texans uber-talented defense to play aggressively, which led to the Chargers offense to struggle.
8 QB Hits
Yes, the Chargers defense played well after those first two drives, where they lost contain and gave up big plays downfield in the passing game. But they could not come close to the impact that the Texans defense was able to make with a two-score lead.
According to the box score, Justin Herbert was hit 8 times by Houston pass rushers. That resulted in 5 sacks and, in at least one instance, a completed pass.
For comparison's sake, C.J. Stroud was hit only once, and was not sacked at all by the Chargers defense.