The Houston Texans (2-5) visit the Los Angeles Chargers (0-7) on Sunday in a Week 9 matchup that will make NFL history for the wrong reasons. This marks the worst combined record (2-12) entering a game in Week 9 or later between two teams that both made the playoffs the previous season. Just a year ago, the franchises posted a combined 23-11 regular-season record and were widely viewed as AFC contenders.
Betting Trends Heavily Favor Houston
The Texans enter as 4.5-point favorites at DraftKings, attracting 99% of the handle and 79% of bets. The total sits at 40.5, with 87% of the money and 54% of bets backing the Under. Houston is coming off its bye week, while Los Angeles has lost 10 straight games outright and is 0-9-1 against the spread over that span.
Dramatic Declines on Both Sides
Houston won at least 10 games in each of the past three seasons and reached the Divisional Round. The Texans' defense, however, has allowed 6.9 more points per game than last year (17.4 to 24.3), the worst such increase in the league. Quarterback C.J. Stroud has rebounded from a disappointing 2025 campaign and is playing on his fourth-year rookie deal.
The Chargers are only the third team in the past 30 seasons to start 0-7 after a playoff appearance, joining the 1997 and 2011 Indianapolis Colts. Los Angeles' offense has dropped 7.5 points per game (21.7 to 14.1), the largest decline in the NFL. The team's preseason win total of 9.5 has already been clinched to the Under with a loss on Sunday, the quickest such resolution since the 2020 Dallas Cowboys.
Herbert's Historic Struggles
Justin Herbert has started every game but has posted unprecedented numbers for a quarterback coming off a Pro Bowl season. He is the only player in NFL history to throw an interception and take multiple sacks in each of his team's first seven games. Herbert has 10 interceptions — seven more than in 2024 — and just five touchdown passes with none in the fourth quarter, where he has thrown six picks. He is the first quarterback ever to start 0-7 after making the Pro Bowl and reaching the playoffs the previous year.
Coaching Hot Seats and Projection
Both head coaches, DeMeco Ryans and Jim Harbaugh, appear on the hot seat. Updated odds for the first NFL coach fired list Indianapolis' Shane Steichen as the -175 favorite, with Harbaugh at +800 and Ryans at +1200. The SportsLine Projection Model forecasts a 26-16 Houston victory, giving the Texans a 30% playoff chance that rises to 35.9% with a win.
