Texans 100: Facts and figures Week 16 against the Chargers

The Houston Texans take on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16 Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at NRG Stadium.

Sunday will feature another battle of rookie coaches as Brandon Staley leads his 8-6 squad against David Culley and his 3-11 Texans.

COVID-19 is picking its way through Houston’s roster, but there are no indications the game will be postponed, which means no chance of a strange Monday night doubleheader or a Tuesday tilt.

The Chargers are playing for playoff positioning in a competitive AFC West field. The Texans are playing for culture.

Here are 100 facts surrounding the matchup with the Texans and Chargers.

Series facts

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY

1. The Texans are 3-11 for the first time in team history.

2. Since 1990, 21/76 teams that improved to 4-11 finished 5-11. The worst finish was 4-12, which has happened 55 times previously.

3. Since 1990, 16/44 teams that fell to 3-12 finished 4-12. The worst finish was 3-13, which has happened 28 times previously.

4. The Chargers are 8-6 for the seventh time in franchise history. 1/6 of those previous teams made the playoffs (1981).

5. Since 1990, 71/108 teams that started 9-6 made the playoffs with 21 of them having won the division.

6. Since 1990, teams that started 8-7 made the playoffs 37/106 times with 10 of them having won the division.

7. The Texans are 2-5 against the Chargers with an 0-3 record at NRG Stadium.

8. The Chargers are 1/4 teams the Texans have yet to beat at home. The other teams are the Rams, Vikings, and Packers.

9. The Texans are 18-22 against the AFC West, including playoffs, with an 8-12 record at NRG Stadium.

10. The Texans’ 2-5 record against the Chargers is their worst against an AFC West opponent:

Raiders: 8-4

Chiefs: 5-8

Broncos: 3-5

Chargers: 2-5

11. The Texans are 36-52 in December with a 19-22 record at home.

12. The Chargers are 121-113-1 in December, including playoffs, with a 44-55-1 on the road.

13. Houston is 106-134 in early afternoon games with a 65-63 record at home.

14. Since 1970, the Chargers are 84-102-1 in early afternoon games with an 80-102-1 record on the road.

15. Since 1970, the Chargers are 42-60 in the Central Time Zone, including playoffs, with a 22-32 record in the early afternoon time slot.

Davis Mills facts

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

16. Mills has a 3.3% touchdown percentage, the eighth-lowest in the NFL.

17. Mills’ 3.0% interception percentage is the sixth-highest in the league.

18. Mills’ 6.4 yards per pass attempt is the fourth-lowest in the NFL.

19. Mills’ 194.6 passing yards per game are the second-lowest in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least eight starts.

20. Mills’ 82.2 passer rating is the sixth-lowest in the NFL.

21. Mills has been sacked on 7.6% of his dropbacks, the eighth-highest in the NFL.

22. Mills is tied with Jimmy Garoppolo for the fourth-lowest time in the pocket at 2.2 seconds.

23. Mills is 1/7 quarterbacks this season with at least eight starts and has yet to pull off a game-winning drive or fourth quarter comeback.

Justin Herbert facts

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

24. Herbert has the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL with 4,058.

25. Herbert’s 4,004 intended air yards are the fifth-most in the NFL.

26. Herbert’s intended air yards per pass attempt are tied with Jimmy Garoppolo for the ninth-lowest in the NFL.

27. Herbert has benefited from 1,925 yards after the catch, the fourth-highest in the NFL.

28. Herbert has the third-most passing touchdowns with 32.

29. Herbert has the fifth-highest touchdown percentage at 5.9%.

30. Herbert is tied with Josh Allen and Taylor Heinicke for the sixth-most interceptions with 12.

31. Herbert has a 7.5 yards per pass attempt, the ninth-highest in the NFL.

32. Herbert’s 99.1 passer rating is the eighth-highest in the NFL.

33. In terms of QBR, which is an ESPN-invented statistic from 2011, Herbert’s 66.2 rating is the second-highest in the NFL behind Aaron Rodgers’ 67.2.

34. Herbert is tied with Josh Allen for the sixth-lowest sack percentage at 4.7%.

35. Herbert is tied for the 10th-highest time in the pocket at 2.4 seconds.

36. Herbert has been blitzed 139 times, the eighth-highest in the NFL.

37. Herbert has been pressured 125 times, tied with Jared Goff and Joe Burrow for the eighth-most in the NFL.

38. Herbert is tied with Allen for the most passes batted at the line of scrimmage with 14.

39. Herbert has had the most passes dropped with 32.

40. Herbert’s drop percentage is 6.0%, just the fifth-highest in the NFL.

41. Herbert is tied with Ben Roethlisberger for the most fourth quarter comebacks with five.

42. Herbert and Roethlisberger are also No. 2 and No. 1 when it comes to game-winning drives: five to six.

David Culley facts

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

43. Culley is the only Texans coach to have a 3-11 record.

44. Culley would join Gary Kubiak and Bill O’Brien as the only Texans coaches to beat the Chargers if he gets a victory.

45. Culley is 3-7 against the AFC with a 1-3 record at home.

46. Culley is 1/4 on challenges.

Brandon Staley

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

47. Staley coached two separate times at John Carroll University, Nick Caserio’s alma mater. In 2013, he was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach. After going to James Madison in 2014, he returned in 2015 for the next two seasons in his old role.

48. A win would join Staley with Marty Schottenheimer, Norv Turner, and Mike McCoy as the only Chargers coaches to beat the Texans.

49. A win would also join Staley with Sid Gillman, Charlie Winner, Don Coryell, Al Saunders, Bobby Ross, Norv Turner, Mike McCoy, and Anthony Lynn as the only Chargers coaches to post a winning record in their first full season as coach.

50. Staley is 1/4 on challenges for his career.

51. Staley survived Hodgkin Lymphoma when he was 24 years old.

Clay Martin facts

(AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

52. This week’s referee is Clay Martin. The Texans are 2-2 with Martin:

2018 – @DEN, 19-17 – W

2019 – @SDG, 27-20 – W

2020 – GB, 20-35 – L

2021 – RAM, 22-38 – L

53. The Texans have had fewer penalties 2/4 times with Martin:

2018 – DEN: 8/50; HTX: 7/60

2019 – SDG: 7/69; HTX: 6/65

2020 – GB: 5/40; HTX: 6/55

2021 – RAM: 3/20; HTX: 6/38

54. Martin is tied for the fifth-lowest home team winning percentage:

John Hussey: .692

Carl Cheffers: .667

Land Clark: .654

Bill Vinovich: .583

Clete Blakeman: .583

Brad Rogers: .571

Ron Torbert: .571

Brad Allen: .538

Tony Corrente: .462

Adrian Hill: .462

Craig Wrolstad: .462

Shawn Smith: .462

Clay Martin: .462

Jerome Boger: .385

Alex Kemp: .385

Scott Novak: .385

Shawn Hochuli: .231

55. Martin has the sixth-lowest percentage of home teams with fewer penalties:

Brad Allen: .769

Alex Kemp: .769

Ron Torbert: .643

Land Clark: .615

Bill Vinovich: .583

Craig Wrolstad: .538

Jerome Boger: .538

Tony Corrente: .538

Adrian Hill: .538

Shawn Hochuli: .538

Scott Novak: .538

Clete Blakeman: .417

Clay Martin: .385

Brad Rogers: .357

Carl Cheffers: .333

John Hussey: .308

Shawn Smith: .308

56. The Chargers are 2-4 with Martin:

2018 – @BUF, 31-20 – W

2019 – HTX, 20-27 – L

2019 – RAI, 17-24 – L

2020 – @CIN, 16-13 – W

2020 – @NO, 27-30 – L-OT

2021 – MIN, 20-27 – L

57. The Chargers have had fewer penalties 4/6 times with Martin:

2018 – BUF: 6/31; SDG: 6/45

2019 – HTX: 6/65; SDG: 7/69

2019 – RAI: 5/47; SDG: 2/15

2020 – CIN: 7/44; SDG: 6/35

2020 – NO: 5/60; SDG: 1/10

2021 – MIN: 10/118; SDG: 7/52

58. Martin’s games have the second-fewest sacks per game:

Torbert: 5.8

Hussey: 5.3

Clark: 5.1

Hochuli: 4.9

Novak: 4.9

Wrolstad: 4.8

Hill: 4.7

Boger: 4.7

Kemp: 4.6

Vinovich: 4.6

Corrente: 4.4

Cheffers: 4.3

Blakeman: 4.3

Allen: 4

Smith: 3.9

Martin: 3.6

Rogers: 3.4

59. Martin is tied for the fifth-fewest offensive holding calls per game:

Rogers: 3.8

Hochuli: 3.6

Wrolstad: 3.4

Torbert : 3.1

Cheffers: 3

Hill: 2.9

Novak: 2.8

Blakeman: 2.8

Clark: 2.6

Hussey: 2.5

Vinovich: 2.3

Kemp: 2.2

Martin: 2.2

Corrente: 2.0

Allen: 1.8

Smith: 1.8

Boger: 1.5

60. The Texans have never challenged Martin, while opponents are 0/2. Replay Assistant has yet to challenge Martin in a Texans game.

61. The Chargers are 1/2 challenging Martin. Opponents are 0/3. Replay Assistant is 2/5 with three of those calls benefiting the Chargers.

62. Martin has the second-highest overturn rate on coaches challenges:

Kemp: 1.000 (5/5)

Martin: .800 (4/5)

Cheffers: .667 (2/3)

Novak: .571 (4/7)

Hill: .625 (5/8)

Wrolstad: .571 (4/7)

Allen: .556 (5/9)

Blakeman: .500 (2/4)

Clark: .500 (2/4)

Boger: .400 (2/5)

Rogers: .375 (3/8)

Smith: .375 (3/8)

Hussey: .333 (2/6)

Torbert : .222 (2/9)

Vinovich: .222 (2/9)

Hochuli: .167 (1/6)

Corrente: .143 (1/7)

63. Martin has the seventh-lowest booth review overturn rate:

Hussey: 1.000 (6/6)

Corrente: 1.000 (3/3)

Allen: .875 (7/8)

Cheffers: .800 (4/5)

Boger: .750 (6/8)

Torbert: .750 (6/8)

Wrolstad: .750 (6/8)

Blakeman: .714 (5/7)

Clark: .667 (6/9)

Rogers: .667 (6/9)

Martin: .625 (5/8)

Smith: .600 (3/5)

Hill: .556 (5/9)

Novak: .556 (5/9)

Vinovich: .500 (3/6)

Hochuli: .500 (2/4)

Kemp: .429 (3/7)

Broadcast facts

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

64. This is the seventh game in the series to be broadcast on CBS. Here is the breakdown by network:

CBS: 6

ESPN: 1

65.The Texans are 100-142 all-time on CBS.

66. Andrew Catalon and James Lofton are doing play-by-play for Sunday’s game, making them the eighth-different play-by-play team in the series.

67. The Texans are 14-4 when Catalon calls their games.

68. Houston is 10-3 when Lofton calls their games.

69. This is the fourth early afternoon game in the series with all of them having occurred in Houston.

Miscellaneous facts

Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

70. Austin Ekeler is tied with Derrick Henry and Jalen Hurts for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns with 10.

71. All of Ekeler’s rushing touchdowns have come inside the red zone, tied with Joe Mixon for the third-most in the NFL.

72. Among running backs with at least 150 carries, Ekeler is tied for the sixth-most yards per carry with 4.6.

73. Ekeler has generated 533 yards after the catch, the fifth-most in the league.

74. Keenan Allen has the fifth-most catches in the NFL with 92.

75. Allen’s 77.5 receiving yards per game are the ninth-most in the NFL.

76. The Texans have the lowest yards per carry with 3.2.

77. The Texans have the lowest rushing yards per game with 77.4.

78. Houston has the second-lowest red zone conversion rate at 48.3%.

79. The Texans are tied with the Miami Dolphins for the ninth-most takeaways in the NFL with 21.

80. The Texans have dialed up the third-fewest blitzes with 97.

81. Houston is tied with the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders for the ninth-fewest sacks in the NFL with 29.

82. Houston has generated 59 quarterback hits, the third-fewest in the league.

83. The Texans have generated 106 pressures, the fifth-fewest in the NFL.

84. Houston has produced 70 tackles for loss, the sixth-most in the NFL.

85. The Texans are tied with the Vikings and Chiefs for the second-most yards per carry surrendered at 4.7.

86. Houston gives up 145.0 rushing yards per game, the most in the NFL.

87. The Texans and Dolphins are tied for the eighth-most missed tackles with 98.

88. The Texans are tied with the 49ers for the fifth-most red zone trips allowed with 54.

89. The Chargers have generated 48 tackles for loss, tied with the Falcons for the fifth-fewest in the NFL.

90. The Chargers have produced the ninth-most pressures with 143.

91. The Chargers are tied with the Patriots and Cardinals for the fifth-most yards per carry surrendered with 4.6.

92. The Chargers give up 136.8 rushing yards per game, the fourth-most in the NFL.

93. The Chargers are tied with the Buccaneers for the second-most missed tackles with 109.

94. The Chargers have allowed the fourth-most red zone trips with 55.

95. Joey Bosa is tied with Darius Leonard and Josh Norman for the most forced fumbles with six.

96. Bosa is tied for the fourth-most pressures with 41.

97. Nassir Adderley is tied for the fifth-most missed tackles with 15.

98. The Chargers have the 10th-highest red zone conversion rate at 61.9%.

99. The Texans are on Dec. 26:

2004 — @JAX, 21-0 — W

2010 — @DEN, 23-24 — L

100. The Chargers are on Dec. 26:

1964* — @BUF, 7-20 — L

1965* — BUF, 0-23 — L

1982 — CLT, 44-26 — W

1999 — RAI, 23-20 — W

2004 — @CLT, 31-34 — L-OT

2010 — @CIN, 20-34 — L

*AFL Championship Game

1

1