The last time the Texans took the field at NRG Stadium, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens rushed for 432 yards and 31 points.
On Saturday, in the AFC wild-card round, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, and indeed the Los Angeles offense as a whole, had no time to catch their breath.
Thanks to their solid defense and the continued good play of C.J. Stroud under center, the Texans won 32-12 in Houston and advanced to the regional round for the second time in recent years.
After a slow start, Houston's signal caller finished with a solid state line, going 22-for-33 for 282 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Herbert, on the other hand, didn't have a very pleasant Saturday night.
Herbert, who was intercepted just three times all season, picked off three passes in the first 48 minutes of the wild-card game and threw a fourth in garbage time in the fourth quarter.
One of those interceptions, Herbert's third of the night, was grabbed by cornerback Eric Murray late in the third quarter and returned for a touchdown, extending the Texans' lead to 14 points.
The defensive rout extended to special teams, most notably in the fourth quarter, when Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker's extra-point attempt was blocked and cornerback D'Angelo Ross returned it for the Texans. That's when they added two more points to their lead.
Despite all these wins, perhaps the best part of the team's defensive work on the night came early in the third quarter (when it was still a four-point game) when the Texans It was a turnover on down that was pushed by the team.
Los Angeles entered the game averaging 213.5 yards through the air and 110.7 yards on the ground per game.
But on Saturday, Houston held its opponents to just 261 total yards.
The Chargers' total of 12 points was less than half of their season average (23.6 points).
Houston found success on the defensive side of the ball by bringing the heat early and often.
The Texans also sacked Herbert four times for a total of 31 yards, holding the Chargers' rushing game to an average of just 2.6 yards per carry.
On Los Angeles' only trip to the red zone, Herbert and company's first drive of the game, the Texans held them to a field goal.
