Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 2007 Week 8 Recap

Game story

In Week 8 of the 2007 NFL season on 2007-10-28, the Los Angeles Chargers took care of business against the Houston Texans, pulling away with a 35–10 final that controlled the game from start to finish.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 24 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

S. Rosenfels (Houston Texans) paced the passing game, with -0.28 total EPA, and -0.4% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, A. Gates (Los Angeles Chargers) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +9.33 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-11.7% win probability) landed in the opening quarter when Houston Texans changed the game: (3:45) (Punt formation) 1-M.Turk Aborted. 48-B.Pittman FUMBLES at HOU 33, RECOVERED by LAC-31-A.Cromartie at HOU 0. TOUCHDOWN.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 A. Gates · Los Angeles Chargers · Receiving · +9.33 total EPA · 3 snaps · +3.11 EPA/play
2. 2 K. Walter · Houston Texans · Receiving · +8.93 total EPA · 7 snaps · +1.28 EPA/play
3. 3 P. Rivers · Los Angeles Chargers · Passing · +7.90 total EPA · 12 snaps · +0.66 EPA/play
4. 4 J. Jones · Houston Texans · Receiving · +5.32 total EPA · 5 snaps · +1.06 EPA/play
5. 5 C. Chambers · Los Angeles Chargers · Receiving · +5.27 total EPA · 2 snaps · +2.63 EPA/play
6. 6 J. Dreessen · Houston Texans · Receiving · +4.23 total EPA · 1 snaps · +4.23 EPA/play
7. 7 J. Echemandu · Houston Texans · Rushing · +2.02 total EPA · 10 snaps · +0.20 EPA/play
8. 8 L. Tomlinson · Los Angeles Chargers · Rushing · +1.68 total EPA · 17 snaps · +0.10 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Los Angeles Chargers — A. Gates (P. Rivers pass) (Q1 50:59)
• Los Angeles Chargers — M. Turk (Q1 48:45)
• Los Angeles Chargers — A. Gates (P. Rivers pass) (Q2 42:08)
• Los Angeles Chargers — A. Cromartie (Q2 40:08)
• Los Angeles Chargers — C. Chambers (P. Rivers pass) (Q2 32:38)
• Houston Texans — J. Dreessen (S. Rosenfels pass) (Q4 4:44)

Field goals

• Houston Texans — K. Brown (Q2 44:10)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Los Angeles Chargers won the period 14–0. Los Angeles Chargers found the end zone from the HOU 49 (Q1 50:59) — (5:59) 17-P.Rivers pass deep right to 85-A.Gates for 49 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Los Angeles Chargers added 1 points from the HOU 2 (Q1 50:49) — 10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres.; Los Angeles Chargers found the end zone from the LAC 67 (Q1 48:45) — (3:45) (Punt formation) 1-M.Turk Aborted. 48-B.Pittman FUMBLES at HOU 33, RECOVERED by LAC-31-A.Cromartie at HOU 0. TOUCHDOWN.; Los Angeles Chargers added 1 points from the HOU 2 (Q1 48:38) — 10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres..

The second quarter: Los Angeles Chargers won the period 21–3. Houston Texans connected on a field goal from the LAC 22 (Q2 44:10) — (14:10) 3-K.Brown 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-B.Pittman, Holder-1-M.Turk.; Los Angeles Chargers found the end zone from the HOU 31 (Q2 42:08) — (12:08) 17-P.Rivers pass deep left to 85-A.Gates for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Los Angeles Chargers added 1 points from the HOU 2 (Q2 42:00) — 10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres.; Los Angeles Chargers found the end zone from the LAC 39 (Q2 40:08); Los Angeles Chargers added 1 points from the HOU 2 (Q2 39:52) — 10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres.; Los Angeles Chargers found the end zone from the HOU 14 (Q2 32:38) — (2:38) (Shotgun) 17-P.Rivers pass short middle to 89-C.Chambers for 14 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Los Angeles Chargers added 1 points from the HOU 2 (Q2 32:31) — 10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres..

The fourth quarter: Houston Texans won the period 7–0. Houston Texans found the end zone from the LAC 28 (Q4 4:44) — (4:44) 18-S.Rosenfels pass deep middle to 85-J.Dreessen for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Houston Texans added 1 points from the LAC 7 (Q4 4:40) — 3-K.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-48-B.Pittman, Holder-1-M.Turk..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Houston Texans (Q1 48:45) — (3:45) (Punt formation) 1-M.Turk Aborted. 48-B.Pittman FUMBLES at HOU 33, RECOVERED by LAC-31-A.Cromartie at HOU 0. TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -11.7% · EPA -5.59]
• Los Angeles Chargers (Q1 50:59) — (5:59) 17-P.Rivers pass deep right to 85-A.Gates for 49 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +11.0% · EPA +4.12]
• Houston Texans (Q2 40:08) — (10:08) (Shotgun) 8-M.Schaub pass short left intended for 83-K.Walter INTERCEPTED by 31-A.Cromartie (56-S.Merriman) at LAC 30. 31-A.Cromartie for 70 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -10.4% · EPA -9.63]
• Los Angeles Chargers (Q1 58:45) — (13:45) 5-M.Scifres punts 63 yards to HOU 9, Center-50-D.Binn. 12-J.Jones to HOU 16 for 7 yards (81-K.Osgood). [WPA +5.2% · EPA +1.27]
• Los Angeles Chargers (Q1 58:51) — (13:51) (Shotgun) 17-P.Rivers pass incomplete short left to 89-C.Chambers (23-D.Robinson). [WPA -4.8% · EPA -1.41]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Houston Texans (Q2 40:08) — (10:08) (Shotgun) 8-M.Schaub pass short left intended for 83-K.Walter INTERCEPTED by 31-A.Cromartie (56-S.Merriman) at LAC 30. 31-A.Cromartie for 70 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -10.4% · EPA -9.63]
• Houston Texans (Q1 48:45) — (3:45) (Punt formation) 1-M.Turk Aborted. 48-B.Pittman FUMBLES at HOU 33, RECOVERED by LAC-31-A.Cromartie at HOU 0. TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -11.7% · EPA -5.59]
• Houston Texans (Q3 15:25) — (:25) (Shotgun) 18-S.Rosenfels pass short middle intended for 83-K.Walter INTERCEPTED by 54-S.Cooper at LAC 10. 54-S.Cooper to LAC 15 for 5 yards (89-D.Anderson). [WPA -0.0% · EPA -4.38]
• Houston Texans (Q4 4:44) — (4:44) 18-S.Rosenfels pass deep middle to 85-J.Dreessen for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -0.0% · EPA +4.23]

Quarterback report card

S.Rosenfels led all passers in efficiency for Houston Texans, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• S.Rosenfels (Houston Texans) · 29 dropbacks · 58.6% completion · -0.4% CPOE · -0.01 EPA/play · -0.28 total EPA
• M.Schaub (Houston Texans) · 19 dropbacks · 57.9% completion · -1.6% CPOE · -0.51 EPA/play · -9.68 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Los Angeles Chargers held the efficiency edge in offensive EPA per play (+0.16 vs -0.16), even if the scoreboard told a different story.

• Houston Texans: 11 drives, -14.76 total EPA, 4 scoring drives
• Los Angeles Chargers: 12 drives, +9.47 total EPA, 3 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Los Angeles Chargers leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• A. Gates (Los Angeles Chargers) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Los Angeles Chargers TD (+6) — Q1 50:59 · HOU 49 · Score 0-6
   (5:59) 17-P.Rivers pass deep right to 85-A.Gates for 49 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Los Angeles Chargers XP (+1) — Q1 50:49 · HOU 2 · Score 0-7
   10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres.
3. Los Angeles Chargers TD (+6) — Q1 48:45 · LAC 67 · Score 0-13
   (3:45) (Punt formation) 1-M.Turk Aborted. 48-B.Pittman FUMBLES at HOU 33, RECOVERED by LAC-31-A.Cromartie at HOU 0. TOUCHDOWN.
4. Los Angeles Chargers XP (+1) — Q1 48:38 · HOU 2 · Score 0-14
   10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres.
5. Houston Texans FG (+3) — Q2 44:10 · LAC 22 · Score 3-14
   (14:10) 3-K.Brown 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-B.Pittman, Holder-1-M.Turk.
6. Los Angeles Chargers TD (+6) — Q2 42:08 · HOU 31 · Score 3-20
   (12:08) 17-P.Rivers pass deep left to 85-A.Gates for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
7. Los Angeles Chargers XP (+1) — Q2 42:00 · HOU 2 · Score 3-21
   10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres.
8. Los Angeles Chargers TD (+6) — Q2 40:08 · LAC 39 · Score 3-27
   (10:08) (Shotgun) 8-M.Schaub pass short left intended for 83-K.Walter INTERCEPTED by 31-A.Cromartie (56-S.Merriman) at LAC 30. 31-A.Cromartie for 70 yards, TOUC
9. Los Angeles Chargers XP (+1) — Q2 39:52 · HOU 2 · Score 3-28
   10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres.
10. Los Angeles Chargers TD (+6) — Q2 32:38 · HOU 14 · Score 3-34
    (2:38) (Shotgun) 17-P.Rivers pass short middle to 89-C.Chambers for 14 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
11. Los Angeles Chargers XP (+1) — Q2 32:31 · HOU 2 · Score 3-35
    10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres.
12. Houston Texans TD (+6) — Q4 4:44 · LAC 28 · Score 9-35
    (4:44) 18-S.Rosenfels pass deep middle to 85-J.Dreessen for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
13. Houston Texans XP (+1) — Q4 4:40 · LAC 7 · Score 10-35
    3-K.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-48-B.Pittman, Holder-1-M.Turk.