The Houston Texans (11-5) fended off the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) by a final score of 20-16 at SoFi Stadium Saturday afternoon. There were peaks and valleys from the Texans' offense that contributed to the course of the contest. Some moments were electrifying, while others were downright putrid. Here is an analysis of the good, the bad, and the uglies of Houston's offense in the win:

Explosive first quarter:

The offense ignited for their two most explosive drives of the season, which included two deep shots to wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel for a "blink and miss" 14-0 lead after only 5:43 of game time. 

On the Texans' opening drive, on 3rd and one from Houston's 25-yard line, Stroud unloaded a 75-yard moon ball to a wide open Higgins for the explosive touchdown reception. Higgins beat veteran cornerback Donte Jackson on the deep route down the middle of the field for the score.

The touchdown throw was one of the longest of Stroud's career, while the reception was the longest for Higgins of his early Texans career. 

On the very next drive, on 1st and ten from the Chargers' 43-yard line, Stroud chucked a pressured fadeaway jumper of a throw to Noel 43 yards downfield for the score and a 14-0 lead. While the reception was the second-longest of Noel's career, the play was the most impactful of his Texan's tenure. 

These two plays combined for 118 yards and two touchdowns against a Chargers secondary that ranks sixth-best in the NFL in passing yards (183.4 yds/game) and was second-best in passing touchdowns allowed (14) before the game. 

Much-needed field goals:

After their second touchdown pass, the Texans went on an offensive drought from the 9:17 mark of the first quarter to the 6:07 mark of the third quarter. That is until kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn nailed a 41-yard field goal from the Chargers' 23-yard line to push Houston's lead to 17-3. 

The 14-point cushion was massive at the time, because the Chargers immediately responded on the next drive with a 14-play, 59-yard touchdown march to shrink the deficit to 17-10. 

The second field goal came with 6:33 left in the fourth quarter, after Fairbairn hit a 44-yard field goal from the Chargers' 26-yard line on the back end of a nine-play, 24-yard drive. The score was then 20-10. 

Clutch finish in the fourth quarter:

With 3:32 left in the fourth quarter, the Texans were nursing a four-point lead after the Chargers scored again on the drive before. Fortunately for Houston, Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker missed the extra point and guaranteed that Los Angeles would have to score a touchdown to win. 

Alas, that opportunity would never come for the home team. On 3rd and nine, with 2:32 left in the ballgame, the Texans were gifted with an Illegal Contact penalty in the Chargers' secondary on cornerback Tarheeb Still.

The infraction gave them a first down and the opportunity to put the game away for good via the Victory Formation four plays later. 

Punting five times:

The Texans were unable to generate any consistent offense after their aerial barrage in the first quarter. From that point on, the Texans punted on five of their next 10 drives (their end of first half 1-play  possession not included).

Here is a breakdown of those drives:

Third drive: seven plays, 12 yards, 2:57 

Fourth drive: nine plays, 46 yards, 4:31

Sixth drive: seven plays, 19 yards, 2:51

Eighth drive: four plays, 6 yards, 1:39

Tenth drive: eight plays, 6 yards, 2:00

> In total: 35 plays, 89 yards, 13:18, 0 points

Dalton Schultz's Unnecessary Roughness penalty: 

In the aforementioned fourth offensive drive of the Texans, the unit was actually driving near the red zone early in the second quarter. After completing a seven-yard pass to tight end Dalton Schultz, he pushed Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart to the turf to initiate a 15-yard Unnecessary Roughness penalty.

The penalty moved Houston back from the Chargers' 41-yard line to Houston's 44-yard line. After an encouraging start, they ended up punting two plays later. 

Stroud's two ugly interceptions: 

Part of the offense's inability to sustain drives was due to two interceptions on errant passes by Stroud. 

The first came during the second drive of the second quarter. With 8:54 left in the quarter, on 3rd and five from Houston's 41-yard line, Stroud's pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage by defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand. The ball then fluttered into the grasp of safety Derwin James for the turnover (downed at Houston 37-yard line).

The second came two drives later, starting at the Houston 22-yard line. After a 19-yard run by Woody Marks helped the Texans escape the shadow of their end zone, Stroud whipped a pass over the middle straight to Chargers cornerback Elijah Molden at Houston's 32-yard line. 

Do you agree with this evaluation? Let us know about any other analysis points in the comments section below and on the official Texans Roundtable X account, @Texans_RTB!