EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers are practically mirror images this season, teams with elite defenses and erratic offenses still trying to stay alive in their respective AFC divisional races.
The Texans (10-5) can clinch a playoff berth with a win or tie on Saturday, while the Chargers (11-4) need a victory to set up a winner-takes-all showdown with the Denver Broncos in Week 18.
“That’s where you want to be in December,”
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “You want to be playing meaningful games, and that’s what this team has earned. Every week from here on out, how can you continue to improve your position? Right now, this is a playoff game versus the Chargers. We know they have a lot to play for; we have a lot to play for.
"How else would you want it? It’s an exciting time.”
Neither Houston nor Los Angeles has reached this point of the season by being the most aesthetically pleasing on offense, and everything points towards a cagey low-scoring affair given the state of both teams’ offensive lines against excellent pass rushes.
The Texans won’t have right tackle Trent Brown (ankle/knee), and rookie left tackle Aireontae Ersery is questionable because of thumb surgery. The Chargers have spent all season grappling with turnover at their offensive tackle spots, and now will be without left tackle Jamaree Salyer because of a hamstring injury sustained on the opening possession of a win over the Dallas Cowboys last week.
The constant churn up front has limited what Los Angeles has been able to do for long stretches of the season. Houston was in a similar position throughout the year because of skill position injuries while trying to adjust to a new system.
Even with those limitations, the Texans are on the verge of making the playoffs in three straight seasons for the first time in franchise history, the Chargers have back-to-back 11 win seasons for the third time, and the winner of their 10th regular-season matchup will have at least a chance of winning a division title.
For Los Angeles, its path to a home playoff game is straightforward: beat Houston, and then complete a season sweep of the AFC West by knocking off Denver next weekend. That path would also give quarterback Justin Herbert and his teammates a chance to end up as the conference’s top seed and secure a first-round bye.
“I think it’s really a week by week thing, and we understand that we’ve got a very, very good opponent coming to town this week, and we got to handle our business this week,” Herbert said.
Herbert understands the value of being able to start the postseason in front of your own fans, having lost twice on the road in the wild-card round, including a 32-12 defeat to the Texans in January.
After throwing a career-high four interceptions in that game, Herbert hopes he has made the most of that painful experience.
“All the turnovers, you watch them individually and see what went wrong on this play, what you could have done differently,” Herbert said. “It’s just part of the game. Unfortunately, it really didn’t go our way, and there’s nothing I can do to change that. And so, it’s more what can you learn from it, how can you move forward, and give everything you can to put this team in a position to win.”
Houston cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. has been so good for so long that it was hard for many – even his coach – to believe he hadn’t scored a touchdown in the NFL until he returned an interception for a score Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. And it wasn’t just his first score in the NFL, but his first since high school.
“I was shocked because a guy with such great hands as Stingley has and how he intercepts the football, he’s such a talented guy, I was shocked that he hadn’t had one since high school,” Ryans said. “But we needed it on Sunday and I’m happy he got it then.”
Stingley was selected AFC Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday for his performance against the Raiders, where he also forced a fumble and had a pass defensed in the win. The All-Pro is tied for the team lead with four interceptions and is the only player in the NFL to have at least four interceptions in each of the last three seasons.
Houston’s defense leads the NFL in yards (272.3) and points (16.6) allowed, but Ryans makes sure the unit is never satisfied. Even though they're the NFL’s top-rated defense, he’s looking for the group to shore things up this week after they allowed two long touchdowns against the Raiders.
“We always have a huge opportunity to improve, and my guys get on me. I never let them slip on what we have to improve upon,” Ryans said.
With points likely to be at a premium, two of the best kickers in the NFL should have their say on the outcome.
Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn is 36 of 40 (90%) on field goals this season. Cameron Dicker has the best career percentage on field goals in league history at 94.1%, including making 36 of 38 (94.7%) attempts for Los Angeles this season.
And if it comes down to a long distance kick, Dicker is 5 of 6 from 50 yards and out with a long of 59 yards, while Fairbairn is 8 of 12 with a long of 57 yards.
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AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.
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