INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — C.J. Stroud threw five touchdown passes, including a pair of season-best 63-yarders to Tank Dell and Kayshon Boutte, and the Houston Texans routed the winless Chargers 44-22 on Sunday and sent Los Angeles to its eighth straight defeat in front of booing fans at SoFi Stadium.
Stroud completed 21 of 35 passes for 384 yards with one interception and one sack. Houston (3-5) has won three of four after starting the season 0-4.
The
Chargers ended a 37-drive touchdown drought — second-longest in NFL history — when Quentin Johnston caught Justin Herbert's 58-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter. It was their first TD since Oct. 11 against Denver. Their 22 points were the second-most they've scored in a game this season.
Soon after, Herbert was wearing a large white glove on his left hand to protect a finger taped by trainers. He was replaced by DJ Uiagalelei, who threw his first career TD, a 15-yarder to Derius Davis, his first scoring catch since December 2024.
The Chargers had scored 24 points on field goals during their TD drought. Cameron Dicker had three, including a season-best 52-yarder, on Sunday.
Herbert finished 13 of 23 for 193 yards and an interception and was sacked a career-high eight times. He has been sacked 31 times this season, second-most in the league.
Boos cascaded down from the upper levels of SoFi Stadium, where the Bolts haven't won since last December. Los Angeles, which lost its final three games last season, tied a franchise record with an 11-game losing streak, set in 2000.
Coming off their bye week, the Texans scored on their opening drive, with Stroud hitting Xavier Hutchinson for a 17-yard score after the Chargers' self-inflicted face mask penalty away from the play.
Stroud was intercepted for just the second time this season by Daiyan Henley in the first quarter.
On their ensuing possession, the Bolts trailed 10-9 on Dicker's 43-yard field goal.
But the Texans answered right back, with Dell scoring his first TD in over two years to cap a two-play, 43-second drive and extend the lead to 17-9.
Houston blew past its status as a 5 1/2-point favorite just before halftime, when Boutte caught his first TD of the season, a 12-yarder from Stroud that capped a seven-play, 76-yard, 34-second drive and made it 24-9.
Boutte's second TD catch, a 63-yard pass from Stroud, came in the fourth.
Embattled Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel moved from the field to the booth to call plays for the first time this season.
Texans: CB Derek Stingley Jr. was hurt late in the game.
Chargers: CB Isas Waxter (ankle) got hurt in the first quarter and didn't return. ... DL Justin Eboigbe (ankle) got hurt in the first quarter, but returned. ... WR Ladd McConkey was active, but had back spasms before kickoff and didn't play.
Texans: Visit Cleveland next Sunday.
Chargers: Visit Baltimore in a matchup against former Bolts defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
___
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
