The Houston Texans (2-5) visit the Los Angeles Chargers (0-7) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in a matchup that will make NFL history for the wrong reasons. This marks the worst combined record (2-12) entering a Week 9 or later game between two teams that both made the playoffs the previous season. The clubs were a combined 23-11 in the 2025 regular season.
Betting Trends
Houston enters as a 4.5-point favorite and is attracting 99% of the handle and 79% of bets. The total sits at 40.5, with 87% of money and 54% of bets on the Under. The SportsLine Projection Model forecasts a 26-16 Texans victory.
Coaching Hot Seats
Both head coaches face pressure. DeMeco Ryans and Jim Harbaugh appear on hot seats, with oddsmakers listing Indianapolis' Shane Steichen at -175 to be the first NFL coach fired, Harbaugh at +800, and Ryans at +1200. This is the latest into a season without a coaching firing since 2017.
Texans Decline
Houston won at least 10 games in each of the past three seasons and reached the Divisional Round. Quarterback C.J. Stroud has rebounded after a disappointing 2025 campaign. However, the defense has allowed 6.9 more points per game than last season (17.4 to 24.3), the worst such increase in the NFL. The Texans' win total projection has dropped from 9.5 to 7.5, and playoff probability from 64.3% to 34.5%.
Chargers Historic Struggles
Los Angeles is only the third team in 30 seasons to start 0-7 after a playoff appearance, joining the 1997 and 2011 Colts. The Chargers are the first team to start 0-7 with preseason Super Bowl odds as short as sixth-best since the 1978 Bengals. Justin Herbert has not missed a game but has struggled: he is the only quarterback in NFL history with an interception and multiple sacks in each of his team's first seven games. His 10 interceptions are seven more than in his 2024 Pro Bowl season, with five touchdown passes and none in the fourth quarter alongside six interceptions. The offense has dropped 7.5 points per game (21.7 to 14.1), the league's largest decline. Los Angeles is 0-10 straight up and 0-9-1 against the spread in its last 10 games.
