The Chargers did not play many of their starters, but that didn’t stop the offense from putting up 27 points and the defense from recording a pair of turnover on downs against the Texans in a lopsided win on the road.
Second-year running back Amar Johnson caught a pair of passes for 68 yards and rushed for a pair of touchdowns to lead the Chargers offense. Wide receiver KeAndre-Lambert Smith led the team with four receptions (58 yards) as he played most of the first half with Trey Lance at quarterback.
Lance threw for 164 yards on 12-of-20 passing with a pick through two-plus quarters of work while also leading the team with 27 rushing yards. D.J. Uiagalelei completed six-of-nine attempts for 120 yards and a three-yard touchdown to wideout Devonte Ross.
Defensively, linebacker Emany Johnson led the team with eight tackles and a tackle for loss. Defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter also chipped in two TFLs and the Chargers’ only sack of the night.
First-round pick Akheem Mesidor played roughly two drives and looked good coming off the ball with explosion and power. Second-rounder Jake Slaughter looked comfortable at guard, showing his athleticism and intelligence in dissecting a stunt up front with Branson Taylor at left tackle.
The Chargers will be back at SoFi Stadium next week to host the 49ers on August 20th. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT.
First Quarter
The Chargers received the opening kickoff and Trey Lance got the start with the offense.
After two runs were stuffed to begin the game, the Bolts got some momentum back thanks to a facemask penalty called on Houston. From there, Lance found wideout KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a pair of receptions to help get the Bolts down the field. Tight end Oronde Gadsden II caught a pass for seven yards and Vidal rushed for four more to give the Chargers a fresh set of downs at the Texans 15-yard line.
Unfortunately the offense sputtered with three consecutive incompletions before Cameron Dicker came on to give LA a three-point lead with a 34-yard field goal.
The Texans responded with their own 11-play drive that ended in a touchdown from Davis Mills to Jared Wayne which gave Houston a 7-3 lead. The Chargers looked to have earned a stop near the red zone but rookie safety Genesis Smith was called for pass interference and the Texans were given an automatic first at the LAC 18.
On the very next play after being flagged, Smith nearly hauled in a one-handed interception but could not get both feet inbounds.
Second Quarter
After forcing a three-and-out by the Texans to begin the quarter, the Chargers offense — with a shuffled offensive line from the first quarter — looked like a unit with a bit more juice out of the break. Lance led an eight-play, 67-yard drive that featured Brenen Thompson’s first NFL catch, a 14-yard catch-and-run by Gadsden, and a seven-yard touchdown run from second-year running back Amar Johnson.
The Texans responded with another impressive drive that featured a healthy mix of both the run and the pass, led by Graham Mertz at quarterback. It took just five plays to get inside the red zone but the Chargers defense clamped down and stopped a third-down run and a QB sneak on fourth to force a turnover on downs.
Lance got the Chargers offense to the Texans 24-yard line with a minute left in the half. He had gains of 16 yards to Thompson and 15 yards to running back Jaret Patterson, but tossed an interception that looked as if he never saw the safety over the top sitting on the deep slant route.
Houston returned the interception near midfield but could not muster much offense before time ticked out in the half.
Third Quarter
The Chargers defense came out strong to begin the second half, holding the Texans to 18 yards and six plays on their opening drive.
Lance and the Bolts took over, showing some life remained despite the interception to end the first half. With gains of 14 and 19 through the air, plus a 15-yard run, Lance brought the offense to the Houston 26-yard line before things sputtered. An illegal formation penalty on first down was followed by a seven0yard sack to set up 2nd-and-22. After a pair of four-yard runs, Dicker came on and booted a 48-yard kick to increase the Chargers’ lead to 13-7.
Third-string quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei replaced Lance and got the Chargers offense moving with throws of 13 and 11 yards just before the end of the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
On the third play after the break, Uiaglelei hit Johnson in stride on a swing pass to the left. Johnson skipped past the first defender and sprinted 55 yards up the sideline before a defender tripped him up at the one-yard line. On the next play, Johnson scored his second touchdown of the night with a dive up the middle and then rushed for a two-point conversion.
The Texans had the ball back for just three plays before a blitz from safety Myles Purchase led to a fumble by Davis Mills which was then recovered by rookie linebacker Lander Barton and returned to the Houston 21.
UDFA running back Greg Desrosiers took three consecutive carries to begin the drive with gains of seven, nine, and three. After his fourth carry went for a loss of one yard, the Chargers called a play-action boot to the left and Uiagalelei found wideout Devonte Ross for a touchdown to push the lead to 27-7 after Dicker missed the extra point.
With Mills still in at quarterback for Houston, the Texans went six plays before once again failing to convert a fourth-and-one agains the Bolts defense. Cornerback Avery Smith came off the edge to trip the running back and the Chargers were back in possession at their 39-yard line.
With 2:50 left in regulation, Uiagalelei avoided a sack and broke the pocket before finding Dalevon Campbell for what looked to be a big gain. At the end of Campbell’s catch-and-run, he was stripped by a Texans defender and Houston recovered at their own 32-yard line.
The Texans would go on to drain the rest of the clock and the Bolts would go on to leave Reliant Stadium with a 27-7 victory in their first preseason game of the year.
