Texans vs. Chargers live score, updates, highlights from NFL Saturday game

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Texans vs. Chargers live score, updates, highlights from NFL Saturday game

Texans vs. Chargers live score, updates, highlights from NFL Saturday game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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The Houston Texans will go on the road to take on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17. The game between two AFC opponents will be held on Saturday, December 27, and will be the first of two NFL tilts today.

The Texans enter the game at 10-5, in second place in the AFC South. Houston still needs to clinch a playoff spot and heads into the week as the current No. 7 seed in the AFC. The Texans have a simple way to earn a playoff berth in Week 17:

Win.

Houston can also clinch a spot if the Indianapolis Colts lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars, as well as via another convoluted scenario requiring six specific wins over the weekend.

Los Angeles, on the other hand, is already playoff-bound. The Chargers have clinched a playoff berth and are now playing for seeding. Los Angeles can still win the AFC West, but it would need to win this week and have the Denver Broncos lose to the Patrick Mahomes-less Kansas City Chiefs. More likely, Los Angeles is playing for wild-card seeding and aiming to earn the No. 5 seed, which would go on the road to face the weakest division winner.

The Sporting News is tracking LIVE updates and highlights from the Saturday afternoon game in Week 17.

WATCH: Texans vs. Chargers LIVE with Fubo (free trial)

Texans vs. Chargers score

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Texans vs. Chargers live updates, highlights from NFL Saturday game

TOUCHDOWN -- Texans 17, Texans 10

6:47 p.m. -- Herbert scrambled for three yards on first down. After a penalty, Hampton got stuffed. Herbert then hit Allen for a 17-yard gain, but missed Johnston on the first play with the fresh set of downs. 

Herbert then tried to pull the option back from Hampton, but fumbled it and recovered it. On third and 14, scrambled and picked up the first and some. The quarterback ran for 28 yards to get down to the Texans' 16-yard line. 

Herbert had a four-yard pass to Hampton, then missed Gadsden before and eight-yard gain by Johnston. Hampton picked up three yards on first down before Herbert hit Gadsden for the one-yard touchdown.

FIELD GOAL -- Texans 17, Chargers 3

6:34 p.m. -- Marks starts Houston's next drive with a four-yard run. Stroud then hit Collins for a gain of 23. After an offensive holding penalty set the Texans back 10 yards, Marks lost one on first down. Stroud checked down to Kirk for a loss of four to set up third and 23. Stroud found Hutchinson for the 10 yard gain to set up the field goal by Ka'imi Fairbairn. He nailed the 41-yarder. 

6:26 p.m. -- Herbert was sacked for a five-yard loss. He was sacked again on second down, this time for a loss of seven. 

On third and 22, he threw a screen pass to Hampton for a gain of seven and Los Angeles had another three and out. 

6:21 p.m. -- Jordan picked up no yards on first down and then Stroud checked it down to Schultz who picked up a first down but then fumbled. Luckily for the Texans, it was ruled to have rolled out of bounds, so Houston retained possession. Unfortunately, it rolled backwards, taking away the first down, and then Stroud had an incomplete pass on third down, so the Texans had to punt. 

6:18 p.m. -- On the first snap of the second half, Herbert picked up seven yards after scrambling. Hampton got stuffed on second for a loss of two. On third and five, Herbert escaped tacklers and found Gadsden down the field, but the rookie was ruled not to have caught it to bring up fourth down and a Los Angeles punt. 

End of half -- Texans 14, Chargers 3

6:02 p.m. -- Stroud decided to end the craziness that was the final two minutes of the first half and kneeled the ball. 

6:02 p.m. -- Herbert started the drive hitting Johnston for an 11-yard gain. Herbert was sacked on second down for a 15-yard loss, but his would-be sacker was flagged for tripping. Herbert fumbled on the next play, but was able to recover it after losing seven yards. The QB hit Johnston for a three-yard gain. He found Will Dissly for one yard, but to make matters worse, Dicker missed a 32-yard field goal. 

5:55 p.m. -- After the turnover, Stroud went up the middle to give the Texans some space as they started short of the one-yard line. On second down, Marks found some space and took a carry 19 yards. Stroud went for a pass, but it fell incomplete to Schultz and stopped the clock with 49 seconds left. 

Stroud was intercepted once again, and the Chargers take over on the Texans' 32-yard line. 

5:50 p.m. -- Herbert hit Johnston for a gain of 16. In a bizarre play, Herbert flipped the ball to Hampton, but he was surrounded by defenders and lost five yards. Before second down, the Chargers took the half to the two minute warning. 

After the break, Herbert scrambled and picked up two before going out of bounds. On third and 13, Herbert aired it out to Johnston for a massive 60-yard gain.

On the very next play, Herbert tried to go to Gadsden but it bounced off the tight ends hand and was picked by the Texans defense. 

5:42 p.m. -- Houston takes over with about six minutes left in the half. Jordan picked up four yards on first and then 10 on second down. Marks got tackled in the backfield for a loss of two. After an incompletion, Stroud underthrew Marks and Houston punted. 

FIELD GOAL -- Texans 14, Chargers 3

5:37 p.m. -- After the turnover, Hampton picked up five on first down, and then Herbert hit him for a 17-yard gain to get into the redzone. Harris picked up seven on an end around. Hampton then lost a yard and Herbert said a pass out of the endzone. 

Cameron Dicker came in for the 27-yard attempt and helped the Chargers get on the board. 

5:29 p.m. -- Marks pick up five on first down, and Stroud had an incompletion on second down. The Texans quarterback was then picked by Derwin James on third down. 

5:26 p.m. -- Hampton picked up one on first down and then Herbert missed Quentin Johnston on second down. Herbert then connected with his tight end Oronde Gadsden III for a gain of six and the Chargers punted once again. 

5:19 p.m. -- Stroud tosses it to Marks and he picked up three to end the first quarter. After the break, Stroud had another incompletion setting up third and seven. The Texans QB then found Nico Collins for the first time in the game to pick up 15 and the fresh set of downs. 

Jordan picked up eight and then Hutchinson had an 8-yard run on an end around. Jordan got stuffed at the line. After the play on second down, tight end Dalton Schultz was called for unnecessary roughness for retaliating against someone that shoved him. The Texans were not able to make up for the loss of yards and were forced to punt. 

5:07 p.m. -- Herbert checks down to Hampton for a gain of six. Hampton again gets stuffed at the line, and the Chargers faced third and four. The L.A. QB slung it to Keenan Allen, but he couldn't hang onto it forcing another Chargers punt. 

5:02 p.m. -- Stroud stays perfect on the day with a completion to Noel for a gain of four. Backup running back Jawhar Jordan picked up two, and then Stroud connected with Christian Kirk for a five-yard gain that was good enough for the first down.

Nick Chubb started the drive with a carry for a single yard. Stroud then had his first incompletion of the game. Facing third and long, Stroud threw the ball away and Houston punts.

4:55 p.m. -- The Chargers' rookie running back started the drive with consecutive carries, picking up a total of seven yards. On third and three, Herbert flipped it to Tre Harris for the first down after play action. 

Hampton picked up five on the next play, but then got stuffed on second down. On third down, for the second time in the game, Herbert was sacked. 

Despite facing the early 14-point deficit, the Chargers elected to punt. 

TOUCHDOWN -- Texans 14, Chargers 0

4:47 p.m. -- Stroud started the drive with a 13-yard pass to Higgins. Marks then picked up five before Stroud connected with Xavier Hutchinson for a gain of 11. The Texans quarterback then aired the ball out to Noel once again, this time for a 43-yard score. That's two touchdowns for the pair today.

4:42 p.m. -- Omarion Hampton picked up five yards on two carries to begin Los Angeles' opening drive. Herbert was then sacked for a loss of nine, and the Chargers had a quick three-and-out. 

TOUCHDOWN -- Texans 7, Chargers 0

4:36 p.m. -- Woody Marks starts the game with a five-yard run. He missed last week's game due to an injury. Marks then picked up four on second down, and then C.J. Stroud opted to throw deep on third and one. The Texans quarterback hit Jayden Higgins for the 75-yard score. 

4:33 p.m. -- It is time for kickoff. The Chargers have won the toss and have elected to defer. The Texans will start with the ball. 

Pre Game

4:12 p.m. -- Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has been sacked 49 times his season, the third-most in the league. Being down a starting right tackle will have the Texans' defensive line ready to get to Herbert early and often. 

3:56 p.m. -- The Texans will counter with white jerseys and white pants with dark blue helmets. 

3:47 p.m. -- The Chargers will be wearing their navy blue jerseys, pants and helmets for Saturday afternoon's game. 

3:07 p.m.: Los Angeles will be without Kimani Vidal against the league's top defense.

Though, rookie Omarion Hampton has been back for three games now and has taken over as the Chargers' workhorse back. Expect him to get the majority of the carries today, maybe even more than usual now that Vidal is out.

3:01 p.m.: Houston has posted its inactives for today's game.

Most notably, left tackle Trent Brown was ruled out earlier in the week with knee and ankle injuries.

3:00 p.m.: Justin Herbert is top-10 in the NFL in passing yards and top-five in touchdowns.

Today, he faces a Texans defense that ranks first in the NFL in yards per game and scoring defense. 

2:49 p.m.: The first player on the field is Los Angeles' Derwin James.

James is the captain of a Chargers defense that has not allowed more than 19 points on the four-game win streak. 

2:39 p.m.: A lot of the talk is about the Houston Texans, who are riding a seven-game win streak and are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. But, don't forget about the 11-4 Los Angeles Chargers.

Los Angeles enters today's game on a four-game win streak and a playoff berth clinched. With a win, the Chargers can win the AFC West if they defeat the Broncos in Week 18, and also stay alive for the No. 5 seed in the AFC.

2:13 p.m.: There are major playoff implications lying in Los Angeles today, not only for the teams playing, but for the AFC's No. 1 seed, the Denver Broncos.

Denver will clinch the AFC West with a Houston win.

1:52 p.m.: C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are in the house.

With a win, the Texans clinch a berth in the postseason.

Where to watch Texans vs. Chargers 

Texans vs. Chargers start time

  • Date: Saturday, Dec. 27
  • Time: 4:30 p.m. ET

Houston and Los Angeles' Week 17 clash is set to kickoff at 4:30 p.m. ET. It will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. 

What channel is Texans vs. Chargers on today?

  • TV Channel: NFL Network
  • Live stream: NFL+, Fubo

Saturday's game between the Texans and the Chargers will air nationally on NFL Network. Rich Eisen will be the play-by-play announcer, with Kurt Warner serving as the color commentator. Jamie Erdahl and Megan Olivi will serve as the sideline reporters. 

Cord-cutters can watch the game with NFL+ or Fubo, the latter of which carries NFL Network in its channel lineup and is currently offering a free trial. 

MORE: Updated 2026 NFL Draft order heading into Week 17

NFL Week 17 schedule 

Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day)

DateGameTime (ET)Broadcast
Thu, Dec. 25Cowboys at Commanders1:00 p.m.Netflix
Thu, Dec. 25Lions at Vikings4:30 p.m.Netflix
Thu, Dec. 25Broncos at Chiefs8:15 p.m.Prime Video

Saturday, December 27

DateGameTime (ET)Broadcast
Sat, Dec. 27Texans at Chargers4:30 p.m.NFL Network
Sat, Dec. 27Ravens at Packers8:00 p.m.Peacock (Exclusive)

Sunday, December 28

DateGameTime (ET)Broadcast
Sun, Dec. 28Buccaneers at Dolphins1:00 p.m.FOX
Sun, Dec. 28Steelers at Browns1:00 p.m.CBS
Sun, Dec. 28Cardinals at Bengals1:00 p.m.FOX
Sun, Dec. 28Jaguars at Colts1:00 p.m.FOX
Sun, Dec. 28Seahawks at Panthers1:00 p.m.CBS
Sun, Dec. 28Patriots at Jets1:00 p.m.FOX
Sun, Dec. 28Saints at Titans1:00 p.m.CBS
Sun, Dec. 28Giants at Raiders4:05 p.m.CBS
Sun, Dec. 28Eagles at Bills4:25 p.m.FOX
Sun, Dec. 28Bears at 49ers8:20 p.m.NBC/Peacock

Monday, December 29

DateGameTime (ET)Broadcast
Mon, Dec. 29Rams at Falcons8:15 p.m.ESPN

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