C.J. Stroud threw five touchdown passes as the Houston Texans routed the Los Angeles Chargers 44-22 at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, continuing Houston's recovery from a winless start to the season.

Stroud completed 21 of 35 passes for 384 yards and one interception, spreading the scoring across four receivers in a performance that was never in doubt after half-time. Houston led 24-9 at the break and stretched the advantage to 38-9 early in the fourth quarter.

The Texans opened the game with a 73-yard drive finished by a 17-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Hutchinson. Less than a minute after the Chargers had closed to 10-9 on their third field goal of the half, Stroud found Tank Dell for a 63-yard touchdown, and a 12-yard scoring pass to Kayshon Boutte just before half-time made it 24-9.

Stroud added a 13-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins in the third quarter and a second 63-yard strike to Boutte in the fourth. Boutte finished with four catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns, while Dell caught four passes for 105 yards. The touchdown was Dell's first since December 2024, coming in only his second game back after 22 months recovering from a serious knee injury.

Houston gained a season-best 485 yards of total offence and sacked Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert eight times. Will Anderson, Sheldon Rankins and Jadeveon Clowney each recorded two sacks as the Texans' defence dominated the line of scrimmage.

Herbert completed 13 of 23 passes for 193 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He has now been sacked 31 times this season. Herbert injured the middle finger of his left, non-throwing hand on a sack by Logan Hall in the fourth quarter but stayed in the game and threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston, ending a 38-possession touchdown drought for Los Angeles.

The Chargers were without leading receiver Ladd McConkey, who was ruled out with back spasms during pre-game warm-ups. Back-up quarterback DJ Uiagalelei made his NFL debut in the fourth quarter and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Derius Davis.

Woody Marks added 70 yards on 18 carries as Houston controlled the game on the ground as well as through the air. The Texans' next three opponents are the Browns, the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens, a run that will test whether this revival can carry them back into play-off contention after their poor start.

The defeat leaves the Chargers 0-8, the worst start in franchise history, and still searching for a first win. Houston improved to 3-5 and has now won three of its last four games after beginning the season 0-4. The Texans visit the Cleveland Browns next Sunday, while the Chargers travel to face the Baltimore Ravens.