Stroud Throws Five Touchdowns as Texans Rout Winless Chargers 44-22

INGLEWOOD — C.J. Stroud threw for 384 yards and five touchdowns as the Houston Texans routed the Los Angeles Chargers 44-22 at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, handing the hosts their eighth straight defeat to start the season.

Stroud completed 21 of 35 passes with one interception in a performance that tied his career high for touchdown passes in a game, matching the five he threw in a 39-37 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 5 November 2023. The 384 yards were a season high for the third-year quarterback, who was playing his first game after Houston’s bye week.

The Texans led 24-9 at half-time and never looked back, outgaining the Chargers 485 yards to 315 in total offence. Houston improved to 3-5 with a third win in four games, while Los Angeles fell to 0-8 and 0-4 at home.

Stroud spreads the touchdowns around

Stroud’s five scoring passes went to four different receivers. He opened with a 17-yard strike to Xavier Hutchinson in the first quarter, then found Tank Dell for a 63-yard touchdown and Kayshon Boutte for a 12-yard score before half-time. A 13-yard pass to Nico Collins made it 31-9 in the third quarter, and Stroud closed his account with a second 63-yard touchdown to Boutte early in the fourth.

Boutte finished with four catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns, the most productive afternoon of his season. Dell’s 63-yard catch was one of the longest plays of the day, and Collins added a spectacular scoring grab that underlined how comfortably Houston’s passing game was operating.

Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked field goals of 56, 31 and 41 yards for the Texans. Cameron Dicker answered with a 52-yard field goal for the Chargers in the first quarter, briefly keeping the hosts in touch at 7-3.

Stroud’s only blemish came on a tipped pass that Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley intercepted, but the mistake cost Houston nothing on a day when its offence rarely stalled.

Chargers’ touchdown drought ends — too late

For the Chargers, the afternoon brought one small piece of relief wrapped in another heavy defeat. Quentin Johnston’s 58-yard touchdown catch from Justin Herbert was the team’s first touchdown since 11 October, ending a run of 37 possessions without one. Derius Davis added a 15-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter, but by then Houston led 41-22 and the result had long been settled.

The Chargers’ defence allowed a season-high 485 yards, and Stroud became the first quarterback to pass for more than 300 yards against them this season, according to the Chargers’ own game recap.

What it means for both teams

The win keeps Houston in touch in the AFC South at the midway point of the season. As NBC Sports reported, the Texans have won three of their last four games and now face the Cleveland Browns, the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens in their next three fixtures, a stretch that will say much more about whether this performance was a turning point or simply a good day against the league’s weakest side.

For the Chargers, the questions only grow louder. At 0-8, they are still waiting for their first win of the season, and they head into Tuesday’s trade deadline with a roster that has now been beaten heavily for two months.

Elsewhere in Week 9, the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 in Madrid, and the New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Eagles 19-11. In other sport this week, the Winnipeg Jets completed an overtime comeback against the Montreal Canadiens.