Texans vs. Chargers prediction: Offensive woes will continue for Bolts against underwhelming Houston team

They call it a “train wreck” because it is agonizing to witness, yet impossible to look away from. 

Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. calls Justin Herbert’s play this season “out of his mind.” 

High praise for the NFL’s interceptions leader. 

Whether sarcasm or not, the Chargers enter Week 9 as the only winless team (0-7) in the NFL for reasons that cannot be debated. 

The offense could not be worse — literally. Los Angeles ranks dead last in scoring offense, EPA per play, EPA per dropback, and offensive success rate. The Chargers haven’t scored a touchdown on 27 straight drives, which has spanned throughout nine quarters. 

Texans vs. Chargers prediction, best bet

Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel will be moving from the sidelines to the booth for Sunday’s game against the Texans, who are favored by 5.5 points after returning from their bye week. Surely, a bird’s-eye view of the field has been the missing cog all along. 

McDaniel is tasked with a Houston defense that ranks within the top-10 teams in sacks. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans isn’t deploying the same ferocious front four and ball-hawking secondary that made for the No. 1 defense last year, but Houston still remains capable of overwhelming a struggling Chargers offensive line. It’s a unit that has allowed 3.3 sacks per game. 

The Texans have hardly justified confidence themselves, running with a 2-5 mark both straight up and against the spread. 

I’d like to say they have a ripe matchup against a poor Chargers run defense that concedes 124.6 yards per game; the problem is Houston’s run game has been terrible in early downs, ranking 29th overall. It’s caused the offense to become one-dimensional and force C.J. Stroud into obvious passing situations. 

If there’s anything good we can say about the Chargers, it’s their defense against the pass. Their deeper coverage looks have forced quarterbacks to settle for shorter throws, with opponents averaging just 6.5 air yards per attempt, the sixth-lowest mark in the league. 

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Houston is coming back after a frustrating overtime loss to the 9.5-point underdog Giants, so there’s incentive to step on the Chargers’ throats and avoid more embarrassment. 

The problem is that neither of these teams wield the tools to exploit the other’s weakness.

THE PLAY: Under 40.5 (-108, BetMGM)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.