National Football League
L.A. Chargers 34, Houston 24
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 2, 2022
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Alex Kemp
Attendance: 69071

Justin Herbert passed for 340 yards and two touchdowns to help the visiting Los Angeles Chargers hold on for a 34-24 win against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Mike Williams caught seven passes for 120 yards, and Austin Ekeler rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns for the Chargers (2-2), who led 27-7 at the half.

Dameon Pierce rushed for 131 yards on 14 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run, for the Texans (0-3-1).

The Chargers posted 293 total yards in the first half but punted on their first three possessions of the second half and then fumbled away a kickoff that led to another score.

The Texans cut their deficit to 27-14 on an 8-yard touchdown pass from David Mills to Rex Burkhead with 1:12 left in the third quarter.

The Texans quickly got the ball back, and a 58-yard reception by Nico Collins put the ball in the Los Angeles red zone. Mills followed with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks to cut the Chargers' lead to 27-21 with 10:02 to play.

The Chargers fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Texans recovered at the Los Angeles 13, leading to a 40-yard field goal by Ka'imi Fairbairn that cut the margin to 27-24 with 8:30 remaining.

The Chargers converted a fourth-and-2 on their own 45 with 4:39 left. Herbert then capped the key possession with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Ekeler to make it 34-24 with 2:28 left.

Three minutes into the game, Herbert found tight end Gerald Everett for an 18-yard touchdown strike and a 7-0 Chargers lead. Los Angeles made the score 14-0 on a 10-yard touchdown run by Ekeler with 12:57 left in the first half.

A 50-yard completion from Herbert to Williams put Los Angeles on the Houston 20-yard line. Ekeler ran into the end zone on the next play to make it 21-0 with 10 minutes left in the first half.

Houston scored 12 seconds later when Pierce broke loose for his 75-yard touchdown run to cut the Chargers' lead to 21-7.

Dustin Hopkins kicked a 23-yard field goal to make the score 24-7 with 4:35 left in the first half and then tacked on a 37-yarder just before halftime to make it 27-7.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
L.A. Chargers   Houston
Austin Ekeler Player Dameon Pierce
13 Attempts 14
60 Yards 131
4.6 Avg Yards 9.4
2 Touchdowns 1
20 Long 75
Receiving
L.A. Chargers   Houston
Mike Williams Player Nico Collins
7 Receptions 3
120 Yards 82
17.1 Avg Yards 27.3
0 Touchdowns 0
50 Long 58
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
L.A. Chargers 419 81 338 4 2 2 4.0 1
Houston 346 131 215 3 1 0 1.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Houston will play their next game on the road against Jacksonville. The Texans have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • L.A. Chargers will play their next game on the road against Cleveland. The Chargers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .667 after a loss.