CJ Stroud throws for a first down on the opening play, but Khalil Mack emerges with a sack on the Houston quarterback and when behind the chains there's no chance of getting it back and, yet again, they have to kick it away.

Jason Bell
Former NFL cornerback on Sky Sports

CJ Stroud you've got to move more in the pocket, you can't stand there you know it's collapsing on you. It's on you to extend the play. Most good quarterbacks that have been playing a long time can make subtle movements in the pocket, but he just sits there.

Yikes! Justin Herbert follows CJ Stroud and on the very first play of the drive he heaves a huge bomb down field and is intercepted by Kamari Lassiter!

Herbert has been hassled and frustrated all game, so the Chargers try and go big down to Quentin Johnston but Lassiter was all over it and got there first.

That's just the fourth interception thrown by Herbert this season and his first on the road in 274 pass attempts.

CJ Stroud goes deep, very deep, for Nico Collins, and is almost intercepted by Kristian Fulton, who was the closest man to the ball.

And he doesn't learn his lesson as from the very next play Stroud does get picked off by Deane Leonard on the left sideline, who does brilliantly to get both feet down in bounds.

More problems for Houston.

Jason Bell
Former NFL cornerback on Sky Sports

The Texans' pressure on the quarterback and receivers is man-to-man coverage. Every time Herbert is back there on third down someone is in his face, he's getting hit. That is the key, he is not comfortable. Then there are the corners on the outside who can make plays, sticky in coverage. That's the key, that's the match.

Image source, Getty Images

You know what they say about defence....and both units have really stepped up tonight as the Chargers have to punt again.

Justin Herbert has been under all sorts of pressure from this elite Houston pass rush, and you suspect points will be at a premium tonight. He'll be hoping that the Texans defence tires if the home offence continues to fail.

Back-to-back catches from rookie wideout Ladd McConkey for 12 and then 15 yards moves the chains up to the 35-yard line. McConkey had a Chargers rookie record of 1,149 yards in his debut season and is an excellent, speedy receiver.

Has a bit of Cooper Kupp and Julian Edelman about him.

Jason Bell
Former NFL cornerback on Sky Sports

The Texans have got to get a drive together. But at least they moved the ball a little bit, backed up the opposition's offence, hopefully the defence can go out there and get another stop.

Bit of gamesmanship from Texans punter Tommy Townsend as he takes a delay of game penalty to move back and have a bit more room to send his punt high and get it inside the Chargers 10-yard line.

With two good defences this was always going to be a struggle, and defence has been very much on top so far.

The Chargers have 71 yards of offence to Houston's 41 so far, but LA have had the ball for almost 11 minutes out of the first 15 and run 18 plays on offence to just nine for the Texans.

Charles Davis
Former Dallas Cowboys safety on CBS

The Texans are not even trying to run the football at this point, everything is going through CJ Stroud, ball in his hands, everything is his decision and they're struggling to move it.

Joey Bosa gets his first big impact of the game as he sacked CJ Stroud for a loss of five yards. Just nothing doing at all for Houston on offence right now.

Phoebe Schecter
BBC Sport NFL columnist on Sky Sports

The Texans defence is getting into a rhythm. They're fifth in the NFL on third down, we're watching them step up big because they need to try and get their offence back on the field.

JK Scott's punt is blocked by Houston as D'Angelo Ross comes screaming in off the edge with a superbly timed run.

LA get a huge stroke of luck though as the ball bounces and bobbles in their direction and ends up being a 35-yard kick when it could so easily have been a lot worse.

Charles Davis
Former Dallas Cowboys safety on CBS

This Houston defence have been under a lot of pressure early on but they're weathering the storm.

Justin Herbert is hit again as he tries to through, this time the one-man wrecking ball that is Will Anderson gets a piece of his arm and again it's so close to being picked off by Houston's defence, which is doing a LOT of heavy lifting so far.

Image source, Getty Images

Justin Herbert is hit as he attempts a deep pass and the ball is almost picked off in the middle of the field.

But hang on, there's a flag on the play and it's on Houston's Danielle Hunter for holding and the Chargers get a freebie first down.

Image source, Getty Images

We were going to bring you a picture of CJ Stroud in action but he's only had four plays and not enough time for the pitchside snappers to get a picture of him yet.

So here's Justin Herbert instead as he gets the ball back again.

No! Is the emphatic answer as CJ Stroud is flushed out of the pocket and is almost picked off from his depserate throw down the right sideline on third down so Houston have to punt it away.

Can imagine that's not gone down too well with the Texans defence still catching their breath on the sideline...

Ben Collins
BBC Sport

The Houston defence stepped up big there to dig the Texans out of a hole.

With the Texans' offence having coughed the ball up in their own territory, holding the Chargers to a field goal is actually a big boost.

Now the offence have to make sure they hold on to the ball to give their defence a much-needed breather.