C.J. Stroud threw for 384 yards and five touchdowns as the Houston Texans continued their revival from a slow start with an easy 44-22 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif.
Tank Dell and Kayshon Boutte each had 63-yard TD receptions, as Boutte finished with a pair of scoring catches and 125 yards on four receptions. Xavier Hutchinson and Nico Collins also hauled in TD passes as the Texans (3-5) won for the third time in four games.
Stroud was 21-of-35 passing with an interception as Houston gained a season-best 485 yards of total offense while the defense totaled eight sacks during its second road victory in two seasons over Los Angeles.
Justin Herbert completed 13 of 23 passes for 193 yards with a touchdown and has now been sacked 31 times on the season as the Chargers (0-8) continued their worst start in franchise history.
Los Angeles extended its touchdown drought to 12 quarters, starting with the fourth quarter in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos, before Herbert connected with Quentin Johnston on a 58-yard scoring strike with 12:47 remaining.
Los Angeles was without top wide receiver Ladd McConkey because of back spasms in pregame warmups.
The Texans took the opening drive of the game 73 yards on eight plays, ending in a 17-yard reception from Hutchinson.
The Chargers turned three of their first four drives into Cameron Dicker field goals to trail 10-9 with 5:11 remaining in the first half. Less than a minute later, the Texans opened a 17-9 lead on a 63-yard TD pass to Dell.
The scoring sprint down the right sideline came in Dell’s second game after spending 22 months in recovery following a serious knee injury.
A 12-yard TD reception from Boutte just before halftime gave Houston a 24-9 lead.
Stroud connected on a 13-yard TD pass to Collins in the third quarter and a 63-yard strike to Boutte in the fourth for a 38-9 advantage with 14:12 to play.
Chargers backup QB DJ Uiagalelei made his NFL debut in the fourth quarter as Herbert sat out the closing minutes while favoring a finger on his left (non-throwing) hand. Uiagalelei completed two passes for 24 yards, including a 15-yard TD to Derius Davis with 4:19 remaining.