The Houston Texans are gearing up for a huge Week 17 showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers. Both teams are in second place in their respective divisions and are fighting for seeding in the postseason.
Ahead of the matchup, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was extremely complimentary of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. In fact, the coach compared Herbert to one of the best quarterbacks of this generation.
DeMeco Ryans Explains How Herbert Is Similar to Patrick Mahomes
Justin Herbert has solidified himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Herbert was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 and has earned two Pro Bowl selections in his career.
Now, Herbert has his team sitting at 11-4 and in second in the tough AFC West. However, Herbert has a tough matchup this weekend against Ryans’ defense. Ahead of the matchup, Ryan gave plenty of credit to the quarterback.
“Justin [Herbert] is making really good decisions with the football. His ability to escape the A and B gaps is very similar to Mahomes,” Ryans said. “Really talented quarterback. One of the toughest guys I’ve seen in the pocket. I’ve shown clips of him throughout the season to our team, some of the decisions he made, how tough he is in the pocket.”
That’s definitely high praise from Ryans, who has been around plenty of talented passers in his career. Of course, Mahomes is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best quarterbacks of his generation, so the comparison speaks volumes.
So far in 2025, Herbert has thrown for 3,491 yards with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The quarterback also already has his career-high in rushing yards, with 461 on the season, and two rushing scores.
PFSN’s QB Impact ranking gives Herbert an 80.6 grade, which ranks ninth out of 46 qualified passers.
Texans-Chargers Matchup Has Serious Postseason Implications
Heading into this matchup, both the Texans and Chargers are essentially locks to make the playoffs. PFSN’s Football Playoff Meter gives the Texans a 95.0% chance to make the playoffs, while the Chargers have a 100% chance.
However, both teams are still alive in their respective division races as well. The Chargers have a 19.6% chance to win the AFC West, while the Texans have a 24.3% chance to win the AFC South. The winner of this game, depending on what else happens, should be in a good position for their division.
The Texans’ final game will be against the Indianapolis Colts, while the Chargers’ Week 18 matchup is against the first-place Denver Broncos.
