(News4usonline) – Of the three games that remained on their schedule following a tough overtime defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in a Thursday Night Football game on Dec. 16, beating the Houston Texans should have been a gimme for the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers learned the hard way that there are no easy games in the National Football League. The Texans had just three games in the win column before they met up with the Chargers.
When the two teams finished their Sunday afternoon dance, Houston had recorded its fourth win of the season courtesy of a surprising 41-29 win against the Chargers.
“I just didn’t coach well enough today,” Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said. “I didn’t coach well enough, I didn’t put our guys in good enough positions to be consistent in the game, and that’s why we lost.”
Missing starters Joey Bosa, safety Derwin James, wide receiver Mike Williams, and running back Austin Ekeler, the Chargers lost this game because of turning the ball over and not being able to stop the run. The Texans, behind the power running of Rex Burkhead, totaled 189 yards on the ground.
Burkhead accounted for 149 yards rushing and two touchdowns for Houston. Oh yeah, for good measure, Houston rookie quarterback Davis Mills went 21 of 27 through the air for 254 yards and two touchdowns.
Staley said there was not one area where he could point to where his defense broke down.
“We didn’t play well in any area today on defense,” remarked Staley. “There wasn’t an area that we played well in today.”
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 26, 2021
Stopping the run has been an issue for the Chargers all season. Trying to put the brakes on power runners like Burkhead has proven to be a tall task for the Chargers’ defense. Los Angeles has had to deal with the likes of runners such as Dalvin Cook, Nick Chubb, Ezekiel Elliott, and dual-threat quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts.
Burkhead, who credits his offensive line for opening the holes for him to run through against the Chargers, is just the latest in a string of runners who have had their way against Los Angeles.
“Offensive line did a tremendous job from the get go,” Burkhead said. “Really, first run of the game. Controlling the line of scrimmage, being physical. Not only at the first level but the second level as well and made my job easy back there, just running behind those, giving us clear holes and paths, and reading off their blocks. It’s a lot of fun when that’s happening. It really helped our offense get some momentum there early on.”
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 26, 2021
Houston’s offensive line didn’t just work well on Burkhead’s behalf. That line did a great job of protecting Mills from harm’s way. Without Bosa on the edge, the Chargers recorded just a single sack on Mills.
“I think it all starts with our offensive line, not just Davis and our receivers,” Houston head coach David Culley said. “I thought our offensive line and our backs did a great job of protection and making plays when plays were there.
“When you do that and you protect him, you’re able to run the ball, good things happen. Our quarterback was able to execute what we asked him to do, and that’s what his job is to do. Protect the ball and get us in the end zone, and our offense did a good job of that today.”
Houston had a lot of good things that went their way. The Chargers saw the miscues that they made bite them. Quarterback Justin Herbert voted in as the 2022 Pro Bowl starter had another typical great outing, completing 27 of 35 passes for 336 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers.
But Herbert also had a couple of those throws he wishes he can have back. Two of those misfires turned into interceptions. Herbert’s first interception effectively ended a potential scoring drive for the team. His second interception resulted in a pick-six touchdown that sealed the ballgame in Houston’s favor.
Herbert feels like the team didn’t do enough to put more points on the board.
“We’re going to have to watch the film and look at it,” Herbert said. “Obviously, a tough game. We would’ve loved to have put up more points. I thought we moved the ball well. It’s all about ending those drives in touchdowns and not field goals and being able to get the defense off the field and go score and go put up points.”
Herbert completed his 27 passes to eight different receivers with running back Justin Jackson leading the way with eight receptions for 98 yards. What was missing from the Chargers’ offensive attack was a bevy of Herbert’s passes going Keenan Allen’s way. Allen, who leads the Chargers in receiving yards, was targeted six times and caught four passes for 35 yards.
Herbert said Houston’s defense was all over Allen. With that said, Herbert said he has to do a better job of getting Allen the ball more.
“They just did a good job covering him,” Herbert said. “We could always get the ball to Keenan more, and that’s probably something we’re going to have to watch the film and look at, because he’s an incredible playmaker and you’ve got to get him the ball. So, definitely something we’ll have to look at.”
Featured Image Caption: HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 26: Houston Texans cornerback Desmond King II (25) brings down Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Michael Bandy during the NFL game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans on December 26, 2021 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire)
Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, race, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University. Email Dennis at dfreeman@news4usonline.com