Chargers vs. Texans live score, updates, highlights from NFL wild-card playoff game

The first matchup of the 2025 NFL playoffs sees two of the league’s most promising passers take center stage.

The Chargers and Texans will joust with one another to kick off the 2025 NFL playoffs. The matchup figures to captivate masses of football fans, and Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud are two of the biggest reasons why.

Herbert and the Bolts (11-6) enjoyed a sterling campaign, securing their first postseason berth since 2022. Herbert shined under Jim Harbaugh’s tutelage, completing 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,870 yards and 23 touchdowns to just three interceptions. The gangly gunslinger was formidable as they come in the regular season, striking up an impressive battery with rookie wideout Ladd McConkey. They’ll hope to conjure up some more magic in the playoffs.

Houston (10-7), meanwhile, captured its second-straight division title under DeMeco Ryans, albeit not in the smoothest fashion. The Texans crafted an impressive defense spearheaded by All-Pro-candidate Derek Stingley Jr. — defensive coordinator Matt Burke’s unit surrendered the sixth-fewest yards in football.

STREAM: Watch Chargers vs. Texans live with Fubo (free trial)

Offense was a bit of an odyssey, with Stroud — the league’s reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year — taking a step back. His performances were undoubtedly impacted by the absence of some key weapons — Nico Collins, Joe Mixon, Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell all missed time due to injury.

Stroud’s reputation precedes him; he was nails throughout 2023 and propelled Houston to a rout of a win against the Browns this time last year. Can Herbert and Harbaugh’s presence spur him on?

The Sporting News is tracking live updates from Saturday’s wild card matchup between the Chargers and the Texans. Follow below for highlights, analysis and more as Los Angeles and Houston vie for a spot in the divisional round.

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Chargers vs. Texans live score

Chargers vs. Texans highlights from 2025 NFL wild-card playoff game

All times Eastern.

End of second quarter: Texans 10, Chargers 6

6:12 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Fairbairn splits the offense from 41. Houston’s lead swells as the half nears its completion.

Texans 10, Chargers 6

6:11 p.m.: Another completion gives Ka’imi Fairbairn some additional room to work with.

6:08 p.m.: Stroud looks far more comfortable than he did earlier in the game. Just slalomed down the field for 27 yards, placing Houston in field goal position as the half nears its close.

6:07 p.m.: After the Bolts’ ensuing drive came to a swift and sudden close, the Texans have a chance to potentially add to their advantage.

6:00 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! The Stroud-Collins partnership is finally starting to bear fruit today. Collins shakes off his marker on third-and-11, spilling out into space on the slant route. Stroud finds him with relative ease, giving the Texans a much-vaunted score before the end of the first half.

Texans 7, Chargers 6

5:57 p.m.: Collins escapes Gilman’s surveillance to snag Stroud’s feather down the field. The 1,000-yard-man then trotted an additional 15 or so yards, settling on the cusp of Los Angeles’ 10.

5:53 p.m.: Stroud flashed a bit of his wizardry on third-and-long, corralling an errant snap 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage before evading Los Angeles’ pass rush and dropping an effort into Xavier Hutchinson’s lap for a 34-yard gain. That’s just what Houston needed ahead of the two minute warning.

5:48 p.m.: Stroud hits Nico Collins to get the first. The Texans are hoping that moment will breathe life into their offense, which has been dour thus far.

5:45 p.m.: Los Angeles has struggled to capitalize on its time of possession advantage. Despite a pair of early McConkey contributions, the Chargers’ latest drive took on the shape of most of their other ones, ending in a punt.

5:41 p.m.: McConkey is making his mark in his first career playoff game. The Georgia alum reeled in Herbert’s dart then curled beyond the marker to move the chains on third down.

5:38 p.m.: Another Houston drive falters as Tommy Townsend returns to the field to launch another punt down into Los Angeles territory.

5:33 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Herbert returns the favor, throwing across his body in the hopes of finding Johnston. It didn’t work — Kamari Lassiter high-pointed the ball and evaded Johnston’s reach to rip the ball out the sky.

5:30 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Stroud misfires on third down, instead finding a leaping Deane Leonard, who comes down with two feet inbounds to set up shop for the Chargers offense at Houston’s 40-yard line.

5:24 p.m.: Herbert dialed up a pair of tosses to Ladd McConkey, bringing the Bolts out of the shadow of their end zone. However, the drive fell to pieces after a Quentin Johnston drop on third down. Another punt is on the horizon.

5:20 p.m.: Another Texans drive comes to a premature close. Ball headed back to the Chargers.

End of first quarter: Chargers 6, Texans 0

5:10 p.m.: BLOCKED PUNT! D’Angelo Ross gets a finger tip on JK Scott’s punt, sending the ensuing effort sputtering out of bounds. The punt itself landed inside of Houston’s 30, so not the worst result for the Bolts. Still, they’ll want to keep tabs on Ross going forward.

5:00 p.m.: Stroud misses his target bad on third down, only narrowly avoiding an interception. The ball is headed back to Los Angeles.

4:54 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Dicker doubles L.A.’s advantage, although the Chargers will be kicking themselves after failing to find pay dirt. Will Dissly had a chance to make a big play on second-and-long, but he dropped the ball just as he neared the first down marker.

Chargers 6, Texans 0

4:50 p.m.: FUMBLE! Alohi Gilman jars the ball loose from John Metchie III on the Texans’ first play of the game. The bumbling orb falls into Derwin James’ path as Los Angeles records the first turnover of the game. The Chargers offense will start their second drive of the inside Houston’s 25.

4:48 p.m.: Stroud and Houston stride onto the field. He’ll look to recreate his exploits from last year’s Wild Card round, when he tallied 274 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Texans past the Browns.

4:44 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Cameron Dicker opens up the scoring with a field goal from 35 yards out.

Chargers 3, Texans 0

4:38 p.m.: Los Angeles is firing on all cylinders to start the game. Herbert’s bolt to tight end Tucker Fiske is the latest in a string of positive plays for the Chargers, who have trotted to the cusp of the red zone via Herbert and JK Dobbins’ exploits.

4:34 p.m.: And we’re off! The Chargers are taking to the field, led by Justin Herbert, one of the NFL’s most efficient passers.

4:00 p.m.: Seems like the Texans are entering Saturday’s game feeling loose. Check out their pregame handshake routine.

3:50 p.m.: Looks like SpongeBob is invoking the spirit of Jim Harbaugh ahead of today’s matchup. Could that be a premonition?

3:30 p.m.: Houston will be backed by Dell and Stefon Diggs, both of whom are missing in action due to season-ending injuries. Perhaps that can give Stroud and Co. a boost in their clash with the Bolts.

3:00 p.m. – The Texans will be in some custom warmup apparel as well. C.J. Stroud and company will be supporting WR Tank Dell, who suffered a rather gruesome knee injury on Christmas Day against the Chiefs.

2:30 p.m. – With fires running rampant throughout Los Angeles, the Chargers are paying homage to their city and its fire department. They’ll don LAFD apparel before and during the game.

Chargers vs. Texans start time

• Date: Saturday, Jan. 11
• Time: 4:30 p.m. ET

The NFL playoffs kick off with the Chargers vs. Texans on Saturday, Jan. 11. Kickoff from NRG Stadium in Houston will be at 4:30 p.m. ET.

MORE 2025 NFL PLAYOFF NEWS:

What channel is Chargers vs. Texans on today?

• TV channel: CBS, Nickelodeon (U.S.) | TSN1 (Canada)
• Live stream: Fubo, Paramount+ (U.S.) | DAZN NFL (Canada)

The Chargers and Texans will meet on CBS, with Ian Eagle leading the broadcast as the game’s play-by-play announcer. Charles Davis will join him in the booth, offering occasional musings, while Evan Washburn features as the game’s sideline reporter.

Fans can find a SpongeBob SquarePants-themed alternate broadcast of Saturday’s match on Nickelodeon, with CBS Sports star Nate Burleson being accompanied in the booth by fan favorites SquarePants, Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks.

Cord-cutters can find all the action on Paramount+, as well as Fubo. Viewers in Canada can stream the game on DAZN.

NFL playoff schedule 2025

Wild-card round

Saturday, Jan. 11

Sunday, Jan. 12

Monday, Jan. 13

Divisional round

Saturday, Jan. 18

Sunday, Jan. 19

Conference championships

Sunday, Jan. 26

Super Bowl 59

Sunday, Feb. 9