Chargers Game Could Shape Texans’ Trade Deadline Plans

Houston’s Week 9 game against the Chargers could determine whether the Texans pursue a late-season turnaround or begin moving players ahead of the NFL trade deadline. The Texans entered the matchup at 2-5, while a win would improve their record to 3-5 and keep playoff hopes alive with more winnable games ahead.

A loss would leave Houston at 2-6, a record from which only three teams have reached the playoffs: Cincinnati in 1970, Washington in 2020 and Jacksonville in 2022. Houston rallied from 0-3 and later 3-5 last season, but another defeat after losing to the New York Giants would raise doubts about whether the team could recover.

The Chargers had struggled through the first eight weeks. They ranked last in the NFL in scoring offense, 20th in scoring defense and had committed more turnovers than any other team, making a Houston loss particularly troubling after the Texans’ bye week.

If the Texans fall to 2-6, they could shift from trying to add talent to selling players. Potential trade candidates include Jadeveon Clowney, a receiver, Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith. A win, by contrast, would offer Houston a needed boost and put it at the same record it held at this point last season.