The Houston Texans’ veteran defensive tackle stepped up on third down to record his first sack in the postseason on Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Hebert in the third quarter of the wild-card round. The Bolts’ offense was driving, but the sack led to a punt.

After falling in the divisional round of the playoffs for the second straight season, C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans believe they’re “really close” to taking the next step and making their first AFC championship game.

Texans veteran defensive lineman Denico Autry had a sack and a blocked extra point against the Chargers in a playoff win.

Dec 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) and center Jarrett Patterson (54) on the field before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Here are four questions facing the Texans in the 2025 offseason:

When DeMeco Ryans became coach of the Houston Texans before last season, the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker brought his swarm defense with him.

The Texans heard how the Chargers' improvement in seed gave them an easier opponent in Houston, but the home team's defense shut down L.A.'s playoff hopes.

SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star react to back-to-back Houston Texans' defensive plays including a "peanut-punch" and a 6-yard sack by Texans defensive end Denico Autry.

It’s been a long season that began for the Houston Texans in August and ended last Saturday, five months later. Each week, I’ve answered your many Texans questions — some silly, most serious. I appreciate you all.

Houston Texans defensive end Denico Autry's thunderous sack of the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert forces Chargers to punt. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud's accuracy is 100 ...

Autry (knee) is active for Saturday's wild-card matchup against the Chargers. Autry missed Houston's regular-season finale due to a knee injury and began this week by sitting out practice. However, he upgraded to a limited session Wednesday before logging a full practice Friday and is good to go for the wild-card game against Los Angeles.

The Houston Texans released their inactives list before their Wild Card Round matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.