National Football League

What we know after the Texans' win over the Chargers

Published Sep. 10, 2013 7:44 p.m. ET

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A franchise can only do so much to distance itself from the previous regime. From top to bottom, the Chargers' front office, coaching staff (Norv Turner!) and roster was gutted this offseason, but they still can't escape the struggles that have plagued the franchise in recent seasons, as was evidenced in a 31-28 Texans' victory Monday night at Qualcomm Stadium.

Following three-and-a-half quarters of impeccable play, quarterback Philip Rivers stepped back and floated a pass on a hot read to Danny Woodhead, but it was picked off by Houston linebacker Brian Cushing and returned 18 yards for a touchdown to tie the game. The momentum, seemingly 100 percent on the Chargers' sideline with the score 28-7 late in the third quarter, had fully swung in the Texans' direction and they did what good teams do: Finish.

"Massive," J.J. Watt told ESPN of Cushing's pick-6. "It was huge. Those drives in the fourth quarter were big for us and obviously that play by [Cushing] I said, 'You earned that new contract you just got buddy.' It was a heckuva play."

Did I mention this was all after the Chargers led by 21 points in the third quarter? Even though offensive mastermind and head coach Mike McCoy was making his debut for the Chargers, the offense sputtered when it mattered most. The Chargers had six possessions in the second half. Here's how they did on each drive:

Series 1: Rivers touchdown to Eddie Royal

Series 2: Three-and-out

Series 3: Three-and-out

Series 4: Interception returned by Cushing

Series 5: Three-and-out

Series 6: Three-and-out

Credit goes to the Texans. All training camp long the overriding message in the team facility was finishing, and that's what they did. They weren't discouraged by being down three scores on the road and they did whatever it took to scratch and claw their way back into the game. Quarterback Matt Schaub operated lengthy drives that had San Diego's defense gassed and they took advantage of it.

Houston would officially seal the deal on a 41-yard Randy Bullock field goal as time expired for the win. All right, let's get into what we learned:

Texans have all the makeup of a championship contender

From the first play of the game, the Texans knew they were going to be in for a long night. Schaub stepped back, scanned the field and threw a pass that was tipped at the line and then intercepted by defensive tackle Cam Johnson. Rivers would throw a 14-yard touchdown pass to running back Ryan Mathews on San Diego's first offensive play of the season for the early lead. It seemed that it was the Chargers' night.

San Diego wound up on the right side of several plays early, but once the Texans captured the momentum, they never let go. The Texans dominated the time of possession in the second half -- only allowing the Chargers to have the ball for a little more than five minutes in the final 30 minutes.

Schaub would spread the ball around to six different receivers and rookie DeAndre Hopkins played a major factor on extending key third downs.

Philip Rivers starts out strong, can't shake late-game demons

The 10-year veteran has been ripped by just about everyone in the San Diego area the last couple of seasons following subpar performances paired with no-shows in the playoffs. Some analysts have said that Rivers needed to be "fixed," and that's why they brought in QB gurus such as McCoy, Ken Whisenhunt and Frank Reich to alter the offense.

The truth is those comments enraged Rivers. He fired back this preseason in an LA Times article, but wrote his own story dissecting a Texans' secondary for 4 touchdowns until he threw the momentum-swinging interception to Cushing.

For most of the game Rivers played behind a sturdy offensive line and had plenty of time to operate in the pocket. He made the most of his opportunities, hooking up with Eddie Royal twice.

Starting out the season with a loss is unsettling, but the way the Chargers lost this game is devastating to the players.

There were some bright spots on defense for San Diego

Rookie Manti Te'o, who was sidelined with a foot sprain, could only sit and watch his replacement Bront Bird fly around the field and make plays all night.

Bird, who would come up in critical moments including a fouth-and-1 Arian Foster carry, logged 14 tackles. Bird, alongside captain Donald Butler, set the tempo of the defense behind fantastic play up front. It's no secret if the offense would've extended some drives and given the defense a chance to catch their breath, they would've been much more effective in the second half.

Unfortunately, for San Diego that wasn't the case.

There was a moment where Andre Johnson thought he scored the weekend's coolest TD. Then it was called back

Headline says it all. Johnson hauled in a short pass over the middle, leaped over a defender, thought he was untouched and raced into the end zone. Not so fast, Mr. Johnson. Chargers cornerbacks Marcus Gilchrist and Richard Marshall both just barely touched him down. The officials went back to the replay monitors and made the correct call. Johnson finished the night with 12 receptions for 146 yards.