The 2-5 Houston Texans have a pivotal Week 9 matchup on their hands as they'll be traveling to SoFi Stadium for a date against the 0-7 LA Chargers.

And in this game between two of the NFL's bigger disappointments from the first half of the season, there's due to be a handful of surprises to unravel throughout the course of Sunday's action. Heck, it's a pretty big surprise that these two to have a combined record of 2-12 in the first seven games.

So with that in mind, in the hours leading up to Sunday's kickoff in Los Angeles, now feels like the perfect time to sort through a batch of three bold Texans predictions and try and guess some surprising outcomes on how Week 9 might unfold:

Woody Marks Totals Over 100 Yards From Scrimmage

In the time that David Montgomery has been stuck on the sidelines with a lingering groin injury, Woody Marks has been the primary back the Texans have leaned on within their running back room, and he's turned in some solid performances throughout.

Marks has accumulated at least 17 touches and 80 yards from scrimmage over the Texans' past three games. It's resulted in much better production within Houston's ground game compared to the first four games of the year.

But this game against the Chargers and their rushing defense is a matchup the Texans and Marks can really expose.

Los Angeles has allowed 4.1 yards per carry this season while also ranking within the bottom 10 of rushing attempts, yards, and touchdowns allowed. Teams take a lead on the Chargers and double down on the run game as the game progresses.

Those holes in the Chargers' run defense paired with the fact that Montgomery is out once again for Week 9, could set the stage for another big day from Marks–– maybe even for as much as 100 yards from scrimmage.

Marvin Harrison Jr. Finds TD for Second Straight Game

It was just a couple of weeks ago in the Texans' most recent game against the New York Giants where Marvin Harrison Jr. found his first touchdown as a part of his new team, thanks to a six-yard dart into the back of the end zone from C.J. Stroud.

But that made for Harrison Jr.'s only reception of the day on four targets against the Giants. Sure, a nice play between Stroud and Harrison Jr., but overall, an underwhelming day for the pairing altogether.

Now coming off of a bye, where their new receiver addition has had even more time to learn the playbook and get adjusted with his new team, there's a ton of incentive to get him involved early and often against the Chargers this Sunday. Perhaps that even leads to another touchdown score.

I'm anticipating a game with much more Harrison Jr. involvement on the offensive end entirely. And if that increased usage really pans out as expected, then another week of seeing a shot to the end zone from Stroud to his college teammate might not be too hard to imagine.

Texans Take Home a 10+ Point Victory

The Texans need a cathartic, commanding win like this.

Houston's three games under .500, desperately looking to cling onto their hopes of making the postseason. They're fresh off a bye where the entire roster should have legs feeling a little bit fresher, and the hunger to get back on track with a win becomes even greater coming off of their last overtime loss to the Giants.

And while the Texans are taking the trip out West to play on the road for this one, the pieces should still be in place for this team to take care of business against the Chargers.

The Chargers remain the only winless team left in the NFL through eight weeks. They rank 32nd in the NFL in total points and first in turnovers allowed. Nobody wants to be that team giving Los Angeles their first win of the season, and especially not the Texans with an extra week of rest to prepare.

This should be a game where the Texans' defense gets back on track with a couple of turnovers, turns that into good field positioning for Stroud and Co., and puts together a multiple-score victory in hopes of starting another late-season run similar to 2025.