The Houston Texans came out of their bye week looking better than ever in their Week 9 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, as they were able to come away with a commanding 44-22 victory to lift their record to 3-5 at the official midway point of the regular season.

Let's do some instant analysis of the Texans' Week 9 win by sorting through three instant takeaways just minutes after time expired in Los Angeles:

C.J. Stroud Was a Man on a Mission

You can't talk about the Texans' success in this game without first addressing C.J. Stroud–– who had quite possibly one of his best games since entering the NFL from start to finish.

Stroud did record his second interception of the season, but that only came because of a tipped ball that got in the hands of Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley.

Outside of that blip on the radar, though, the Texans quarterback played lights out. He completed 21 of his 35 passes for a season-high 384 yards and five touchdowns.

Stroud got his top targets involved consistently throughout the day: Xavier Hutchinson claimed the first touchdown of the year, Stroud made sure to feature Nico Collins a bit more than last week with four receptions, 55 yards and a touchdown, but the two biggest standouts were Kayshon Boutte and Tank Dell.

C.J. Stroud to Tank Dell for the TD 🗣️

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Boutte and Dell combined for eight receptions, 130 yards and three touchdowns, which was made possible by a well-called game by offensive coordinator Nick Caley after the bye, and a strong day commanding the Texans' offense under center by Stroud.

More days like this from the Texans' offense could be just what the team needs to rattle off a few late-season wins. In this game against LA, that production from Stroud was the engine behind a much-needed victory following the week off.

A Pass Rush the Chargers Had No Answer For

The Chargers' offense looked uncoordinated all day as they have throughout the seven games they played before this one. But one area that the Texans' defense really managed to expose was their holes in pass protection.

It was a statement day for the Texans when it came to bringing pressure on Justin Herbert. After the defense had combined for just three sacks over the past two weeks, Houston came alive for a whopping eight takedowns on the Chargers' signal-caller for 40 yards.

And it wasn't simply a one-man wrecking crew upfront for the Texans either. Everybody was eating.

Will Anderson Jr. got back on track with two sacks. Jadeveon Clowney made his presence felt with a pair of sacks. Sheldon Rankins got a couple of his own. Even safety M.J. Stewart got one. That led to Justin Herbert completing 13-23 passes for less than 200 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. 

Watch for the sack. Stay for the celly.

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If the Texans can continue causing that type of disruption within the trenches moving forward, combined with the improved play this secondary also showed against Los Angeles, this Houston defense could finally be able to get back to business as one of the best collective units in the NFL.

Has Houston Improved or Are the Chargers Just Bad?

This is an overall positive showing for the Texans, no doubt. This was their highest point total in a game this year, as well as their biggest margin of victory. Coming on a West Coast road trip makes those results even more impressive for Houston.

However, the result is one the Texans should take with a grain of salt.

On one hand, the Texans really stepped up in all three phases. C.J. Stroud took care of business with his best performance of the year, the defense wrecked havoc throughout the day en route to two turnovers, eight tackles, and less than 4.5 yards allowed per play from Los Angeles.

On another note, it's fair to keep in consideration that this Chargers roster has not won a game this season. Los Angeles entered this week with the worst scoring offense in the NFL and the highest turnover count. This was a game the Texans should've dominated.

So, while the Texans and fans alike should certainly celebrate this win, what's more important is how the team takes this win and creates some momentum with it.

Houston has three winnable games up ahead against the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and Baltimore Ravens, and this game against the Chargers does provide some confidence that the Texans could have another late-season run in store like they did around this time last year.