Chargers vs. Texans Prediction, Odds, Spread, Injuries, Trends for NFL Wild Card Round

Iain MacMillan | 20 Hours Ago

The Chargers are road favorites to the Texans in the Wild-Card Round of the NFL Playoffs. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

As is tradition, the Houston Texans will be featured in the first NFL Playoff game on Saturday afternoon. This time, they'll host the Los Angeles Chargers in a No. 4 vs. No. 5 showdown.

Justin Herbert suffered heartbreak in his first playoff start against the Jaguars two years ago, blowing a significant second-half lead. Meanwhile C.J. Stroud took down the Browns in his playoff debut last year, but then lost in a rout to the Ravens in the Divisional Round.

The winner of this game will likely face the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round barring a big upset by the Broncos or Steelers. Let's dive into everything you need to know to bet this game.

Chargers vs. Texans Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

• Chargers -3 (-105)
• Texans +3 (-115)

Moneyline

• Chargers -162
• Texans +136

Total

• OVER 42.5 (-108)
• UNDER 42.5 (-112)

Chargers vs. Texans How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, January 11
• Time: 4:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: NRG Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): CBS/Paramount+
• Chargers record: 11-6
• Texans record: 10-7

Chargers vs. Texans Betting Trends

• Chargers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games
• The OVER is 4-1 in the Chargers' last five games
• Chargers are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games against Texans
• Chargers are 5-0 ATS in their last five road games
• The UNDER is 6-2 in the Texans' last eight home games
• Texans are 4-1 ATS in their last five games played in January
• Texans are 1-5 straight up in their last six games against AFC West opponents

Chargers vs. Texans Injury Reports

Chargers Injury Report

• Joshua Palmer, WR - Questionable
• Denzel Perryman, LB - Questionable
• Gus Edwards, RB - Questionable
• Kristian Fulton, CB - Questionable
• Trey Pipkins III, OT - Questionable

Texans Injury Report

• Jeff Okudah, CB - Questionable
• Shaw Mason, G - Questionable
• Christian Harris, LB - Questionable
• Folorunso Fatukasi, DT - Questionable
• Denico Autry, DE - Questionable

Chargers vs. Texans Key Players to Watch

Los Angeles Chargers

Quentin Johnston: The Chargers rely on Ladd McConkey as their No. 1 option, but if they want to succeed in the postseason they need Quentin Johnston to step up and be a strong No. 2 option. He has shown the ability to do so, but his inconsistent hands has also cost him in big moments. He needs to put those behind him and become a reliable target for Justin Herbert.

Houston Texans

C.J. Stroud: The Texans offense has been bad for the majority of the season and it's only gotten worse since Tank Dell went down with a gruesome injury. Whether or not their lack of explosiveness comes down to C.J. Stroud doesn't matter, they need him to put the offense on his back and bring his "A" game on Saturday afternoon.

Chargers vs. Texans Prediction and Pick

In this week's edition of the "Road to Super Bowl 59", I broke down why I'm laying the points with the Chargers.

It's best to not overthink this play. The Texans have struggled in the second half of the season and there's no sign of things getting better. Their offense is 25th in the NFL in EPA per play and 31st in success rate since Week 10 and things won't get easier against a team as well-coached as the Chargers.

The Chargers should have no issue playing on the road. in fact, by some metrics, they've been better on the road than at home this season. For example, they have a Net Yards per Play of +0.5 on the road compared to -0.4 at home.

Unless the Texans offense wakes up, which I don't expect to happen, I'll take Los Angeles to win and cover.

Pick: Chargers -3 (-105)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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