NFL Saturday Week 17 - Los Angeles Chargers vs. Houston Texans Odds & Picks - Dec. 27
All odds provided by Betway.
Chargers vs. Texans Game Prediction
There are going to be a lot of meaningless games over the next two weeks. This is certainly not one of them. If the Houston Texans win this one, they clinch a playoff berth. But if they win their final two games while the Jacksonville Jaguars go 1-1, Houston would steal the AFC South and likely the No. 3 seed.
L.A. is already in. But if they win this game, it sets up for a Week 18 winner-take-all battle with the Denver Broncos for the AFC West division title and possibly even the No. 1 seed.
Obviously, there’s a lot to play for here. And between two of the hottest teams in the sport. The Texans have won seven straight, the Chargers have also triumphed in seven of their last eight. However, L.A.’s run has been slightly more impressive. They’ve won four straight, two of which have been 17-point wins, and two of which were outright wins after going into a game as the underdog.
They are slight favorites here, and at home. Both of those bode well for Jim Harbaugh’s guys. They may not get a ton of Chargers fans for their games in L.A., but the Chargers play very well in SoFi, posting a 5-2 home record so far this year. They are also 16-8 ATS as favorites under Harbaugh, and 9-3 ATS (and straight up) as a home favorite since 2024.
Now, the Texans’ defense is the best in the league when it comes to both scoring and total yards allowed. However, they’re not head and shoulders better than other top units. And the Chargers have had no trouble with those this season.
They beat the No. 4 (PHI) and the No. 5 scoring defenses (KC) just in the last few weeks. Overall, they are 5-0 against teams with top 10 defenses this season, averaging 25.0 points in those contests. Last and most impressive is that L.A. is 4-0 this season in non-Sunday games, winning those by an average of 11.8 points per game.
Best Bet: Los Angeles Chargers Moneyline (-126)
Chargers vs. Texans Player Prop Best Bet
While we like the Chargers to pull this one out, we didn’t say there wouldn’t be setbacks. Namely, their offensive line. They are already without their highly-touted starting tackle duo. Now, they will be without backup left tackle Jamaree Salyer, who was playing pretty well before suffering a hamstring that will keep him out of this one.
Behind him are two unproven and, let’s say, lightly talented options. Austin Deculus is the most likely replacement. He has already five games at LT this season, finishing with a PFF pass-block grade of 56.0 or under. He allowed four sacks, eight hits, and 26 pressures during that span. The other option is Trevor Penning, who is a natural right tackle that has played guard exclusively for L.A. this season. He has allowed three sacks and 15 pressures in six 2025 starts.
Houston has one of the best pass rushes in the NFL, posting 41 sacks so far this season, good for eighth in the league. That effort is led by edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. But while Anderson is the better player, it’s Hunter that plays on the defensive right, across from those third-string left tackles of the Chargers.
Hunter has 13.0 sacks on the year, including 1+ in each of his last two games and 1+ in five of his last seven. The hulking defensive end should make minced meat of whoever starts there, whether it’s Deculus or Penning. Betting sites are also offering his odds for a sack at much more digestible -160 odds compared to Anderson’s juiced -215 odds.
Best Bet: Danielle Hunter To Record A Sack (-160)
