The Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans meet Saturday in the AFC Wild Card Playoffs at NRG Stadium. Here’s a Texans vs Chargers Prediction. This article will include a Texans vs Chargers Pick.

Los Angeles Chargers Betting Preview

The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off wins over the Broncos, Patriots, and Raiders. The Los Angeles Chargers look for their first playoff win since the 2018 season. Justin Herbert is completing 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,870 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston have combined for 1,850 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns, while Joshua Palmer has 39 receptions.

The Los Angeles Chargers ground game is averaging 110.7 yards per contest, and J.K. Dobbins leads the way with 905 yards and 9 touchdowns. Defensively, Los Angeles is allowing 17.7 points and 324.4 yards per game. Daiyan Henley leads the Los Angeles Chargers with 147 tackles, Tuli Tuipulotu has 8.5 sacks and Tarheeb Still has 4 interceptions.

Houston Texans Betting Preview

The Houston Texans recently beat the Texans, while losing to the Chiefs and Ravens. The Houston Texans look to win a playoff game in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2012. C.J. Stroud is completing 63.2 percent of his passes for 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Nico Collins and Tank Dell have combined for 1,673 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, while Dalton Schultz has 53 receptions.

The Houston Texans ground game is averaging 112.3 yards per contest, and Joe Mixon leads the way with 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns. Defensively, Houston is allowing 21.9 points and 315 yards per game. Henry To’oTo’o leads the Houston Texans with 105 tackles, Danielle Hunter has 12 sacks and Calen Bullock has 5 interceptions.

Why the Houston Texans will win

• The Chargers have lost three of their last four January games as favorites against AFC opponents.
• The Texans have won three of their last four January games as underdogs against AFC opponents.
• The home team has covered the spread in each of the Texans’ last four postseason games.
• The Chargers have failed to cover the spread in three of their last four January games as favorites against AFC opponents.
• The Texans have won the first half in each of their last four games as slight underdogs (<+3.5 points).
• The underdogs have won the first quarter in four of the Texans’ last five postseason games.
• The Texans have scored the first touchdown in seven of their last nine games.

Why the Los Angeles Chargers will win

• The Chargers have won each of their last eight games as favorites against AFC opponents.
• The Texans have lost seven of their last eight games against AFC West opponents on a winning streak.
• The Chargers have covered the spread in each of their last eight games as favorites against AFC opponents.
• The Texans have failed to cover the spread in five of their last six postseason games as underdogs against AFC opponents.
• The Chargers have won the first half in each of their last nine games as road favorites against AFC opponents.
• The road team has won the first quarter in each of the Chargers’ last five Wild Card Round games.
• The Chargers have scored the first touchdown in each of their last four road games against AFC South opponents.

Texans vs Chargers Injury Report

The key injuries for the Chargers include running back J.K. Dobbins, who is questionable with an ankle injury. Wide receiver Joshua Palmer is questionable with a foot injury. Other players who are questionable include Gus Edwards, Denzel Perryman and Quentin Johnston.

The Texans are already missing key players, mainly on the offensive side. The players who are currently questionable include cornerbacks Jeff Okudah and D’Angelo Ross, wide receiver John Metchie III and linebacker Christian Harris.

Texans vs Chargers Prediction

You can make a case for the Texans, as it’s not often you get a home dog in the NFL playoffs. However, there’s a reason this line is what it is. The Texans ended the season with losses in five of their last nine games, and the offense has struggled mightily due to injuries. We watched the Texans on Christmas score two points against the Ravens. The Texans have scored 20 or fewer points in four of their last nine games. That’s just not going to be good enough against a Chargers team that can score but also has the best scoring defense in the league. This just isn’t a great matchup for the Texans, given their injury situation and the struggling offense overall.

The Chargers are also 12-5 ATS on the season. I’ll lay the small chalk with the Chargers.