Instant analysis after Chargers squander huge chance vs. Texans

The Los Angeles Chargers dug themselves a deep hole with the Houston Texans in town on Saturday, eventually losing, 20-16. 

Those Chargers coughed up two easy touchdowns to the C.J. Stroud-led Texans and were never able to scrape back close enough for the game to be interesting. 

Justin Herbert still had some MVP-level moments in the process, but the Chargers missed on a chance to make the AFC’s top playoff seed conversation interesting. 

Here’s a quick look at notes and numbers to know from the game.

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Texans vs. Chargers notes

• Chargers coughed up two massive touchdown passes to C.J. Stroud within minutes. The defense looked straight-up lost in the secondary, which is incredibly odd for a Jesse Minter-coordinated group. 

• Bobby Hart and Mekhi Becton were the two big culprits of early Chargers offensive failures. Hart is an eighth lineman asked to start at tackle and Becton has been a massive free-agency bust.

• Elijah Molden was the defender getting picked on in the secondary early on the Texans touchdowns. 

• Da’Shawn Hand tipped the ball that led to a Derwin James interception. 

• Oronde Gadsden has been a bright spot as a rookie for the Chargers, but his drop that turned into an interception in the red zone was a disaster. The team was looking at possibly making it a 14-10 game and came away with nothing. 

• Just three points on two forced turnovers in the first half for the Chargers. Good defensive response after allowing scores, but the offense was nowhere to be found. 

• Chargers yanked Bobby Hart from the lineup in the third quarter, which was more than justified. 

• Cameron Dicker summed up this night well: He missed a field goal and a critical extra point.