Chargers vs. Texans score, live updates: Wild-card weekend opens with Los Angeles and Houston facing off

An offsides penalty on Joey Bosa with a 13-yard catch by Joe Mixon and 12-yard reception from Diontae Johnson moves Houston back into field goal range.

On 4th-and-10 from the L.A. 19, Ka'imi Fairbairn kicks a 37-yard field goal.

A holding penalty on Blake Fisher pushes the Texans back another 10 yards. Houston has a 2nd-and-40 from the Chargers' 49-yard line.

Check that! On replay review, Derwin James was ruled to have not caught the ball on his interception.

However, Joe Mixon is called for an unnecessary roughness penalty on the play which pushes Houston back to the 39-yard line.

Houston was driving toward another touchdown after Joe Mixon carries the ball twice for 27 yards. But a holding penalty on Tytus Howard pushes the ball back from the 14-yard line to the 24.

On the next play, C.J. Stroud is intercepted in the end zone by Derwin James, who returns it 59 yards to the Texans' 46-yard line.

L.A. went for it on 4th-and-2 from the Texans' 34-yard line. But Justin Herbert's pass to Quentin Johnston goes for only one yard, and the Chargers turn it over.

Gus Edwards gained eight yards on the first two plays of the possession. Yet he was stopped for no gain on 3rd-and-2. The Chargers opted not to give him the ball one more time.

Justin Herbert connects with Ladd McConkey for a 17-yard pass on 1st-and-10, and 15 more yards are tacked on due to a facemask penalty on Derek Stingley.

Following that 41-yard gain, Joe Mixon fumbles. The Texans appeared to be attempting a halfback pass. Tony Jefferson ripped the ball out for the turnover.

The Chargers recover the ball at their own 26.

The C.J. Stroud to Nico Collins connection is staying hot as the second half begins. Stroud hits Collins for a 41-yard gain on 3rd-and-5.

That moves Houston to the Chargers' 24-yard line.

The Texans won the opening coin toss and deferred, so they begin the second half on offense.

The "NFL Today" studio crew overlooked Jim Harbaugh being overtaken by the Dirty Bubble early in the second quarter. Thankfully, the Nickelodeon broadcast was all over it.

Chargers

Total offense: 123 yards
Justin Herbert: 8/20, 97 yards
J.K. Dobbins: 8 rushes, 26 yards
Ladd McConkey: 4 catches, 56 yards

Texans

Total offense: 214 yards
C.J. Stroud: 14/23, 180 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 1 rush, 27 yards
Joe Mixon: 6 rushes, 15 yards
Nico Collins: 4 catches, 68 yards, 1 TD

The Texans do indeed get a field goal before halftime.

A five-yard run from Dare Ogunbowale followed by a nine-yard catch by Robert Woods moves the ball to the Chargers' 23-yard line. With three seconds left, Houston sends Ka'imi Fairbairn out there for a 41-yard kick and he hits it.

A field goal definitely looks in play for the Texans after C.J. Stroud gains 27 yards on a scramble.

That advances the ball to the Chargers' 37-yard line and probably within Ka'imi Fairbairn's range.

The Chargers can't get a first down before halftime with Justin Herbert throwing three incompletions.

JK Scott kicks a 48-yard punt and Robert Woods returns it 10 yards to the Houston 32-yard line.

The Texans might have a chance to add more points here before halftime.

The Texans finish off a 99-yard drive in 13 plays with C.J. Stroud hitting Nico Collins for a 13-yard touchdown pass.

Houston has the lead, 7–6, with 58 seconds remaining before halftime.

After Dalton Schultz dropped a pass over the middle that was ruled incomplete, not a fumble, C.J. Stroud connects on a deep ball with Nico Collins for a 37-yard gain.

Houston is at the Chargers' 12-yard line with 1:09 remaining in the first half. They still have all three timeouts.

On 3rd-and-16 from the Houston 17, C.J. Stroud fumbles the snap. But he recovers the ball, scrambles to his right and finds a wide-open Xavier Hutchinson for a 34-yard gain.

At the 2-minute warning, the Texans have a 1st-and-10 from the Chargers' 49-yard

C.J. Stroud arguably committed an intentional grounding penalty on 2nd-and-3. That would've resulted in a safety, but the officials didn't make that call.

The Texans get a first down on the next play with Stroud hitting Nico Collins for a five-yard gain.

Leave it to SpongeBob Squarepants to show fans how special Ladd McConkey is.

L.A. can't get another first down after that Ladd McConkey catch. But the Chargers get an outstanding punt from JK Scott. The kick goes 55 yards and Deane Leonard downs it at the Houston 1-yard line.

The Chargers faced a 3rd-and-12 at their 23, but Justin Herbert finds Ladd McConkey over the middle for a 19-yard gain.

McConkey has four catches for 56 yards thus far.

After the turnover, the Texans begin with a 13-yard pass to Nico Collins. But following an incompletion, Stroud is sacked by Khalil Mack for an eight-yard loss.

Stroud hit John Metchie for a 10-yard gain on 3rd-and-18, but the Texans have to punt. Tommy Townsend kicks it 50 yards and the Chargers are back at it from their 25-yard line.

The Chargers and Texans trade interceptions.

Justin Herbert made an ill-advised throw, going across the field after rolling out to his right. His pass to Quentin Johnston gets picked off by Kamari Lassiter.

C.J. Stroud is picked off throwing to John Metchie down the left sideline. Deane Leonard makes an excellent catch, getting both feet inbounds.

Justin Herbert completed two consecutive passes to Ladd McConkey, covering 27 yards. J.K. Dobbins followed up with a six-yard run.

However, Herbert's next two passes were incomplete (Quentin Johnston dropping a catch on 3rd-and-4) and the Chargers have to punt.

JK Scott kicks it 47 yards and the Texans take over at their 12-yard line.

After appearing like they might go for it, the Texans opt to punt on 4th-and-11 from the Chargers' 46. Tommy Townsend's 38-yard kick pushes L.A. back to its own 8-yard line.

The first quarter ends with C.J. Stroud getting sacked for a five-yard loss by Joey Bosa. Stroud follows up with a nine-yard completion to Dalton Schultz on 3rd-and-15.

Houston ran its offense out there on 4th-and-6, trying to get the Chargers to move offsides before the quarter expired. But the clock ran out.

Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman suffered an elbow injury making a tackle on the last series. He went to the locker room for examination.

Will Herbert hits Justin Herbert as he throws on 3rd-and-9. The pass to Ladd McConkey goes incomplete and the Chargers have to punt.

D'Angelo Ross gets a piece of JK Scott's punt, which goes only 35 yards. Texans take over at their 28-yard line.

Jamaree Salyer is called for an ineligible man downfield penalty. Chargers move back to a 1st-and-15 from their 30-yard line.

On 3rd-and-7 from the Houston 33, C.J. Stroud was flushed out of the pocket by Joey Bosa and scrambled to the right. Looking for John Metchie, he's nearly intercepted.

Tommy Townsend kicks a 55-yard punt, but Kris Boyd commits a fair catch interference penalty on Derius Davis. That moves the Chargers from the 16-yard line to the 33 as they begin their third possession.

The Chargers can't capitalize on the turnover with a touchdown. Justin Herbert is sacked for a nine-yard loss by Will Anderson and Mario Edwards Jr.

Herbert hit DJ Chark for a 10-yard gain on 3rd-and-19, but that wasn't enough for the first down. Cameron Dicker hits a 39-yard field goal for his second of the game.

C.J. Stroud completed his first pass for the Texans. But after an eight-yard gain, receiver John Metchie fumbled. Alohi Gilman ripped the ball out.

Derwin James recovered for the Chargers and returned the turnover five yards. L.A. has the ball on the Houston 33-yard line.

J.K. Dobbins is tackled for a one-yard loss on 3rd-and-1 from the Texans' 14, stalling the Chargers' drive. L.A. has to settle for a field goal.

Cameron Dicker makes a 35-yarder to give the Chargers a 3–0 lead.

Replay showed that Azeez Al-Shaair may have been hit in a delicate area by Tucker Fisk's cleat while making a tackle.

However, he's back in after going out for one play.

Justin Herbert has completed his first three passes for the Chargers, totaling 32 yards so far on their first drive.

Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is down after a 15-yard pass play by the Chargers and his leg is being looked at by trainers.

The Texans won the opening coin toss and will defer. The Chargers' offense will take the field first.

Who's watching the "NFL on Nickelodeon" kids-themed broadcast of Chargers-Texans? Nate Burleson won't be calling the game with Noah Eagle. Instead. SpongeBob Squarepants and Patrick Star are on the call with him.

This will be the sixth broadcast Nickelodeon will do with CBS, four of them wild-card playoff games and the other two on Christmas in 2022 and 2023.