The NFL 2024 regular season came to an end with an epic clash between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings. With 18 teams out of the Super Bowl race, the focus now shifts to the playoffs.
Wild Card Weekend kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 11 with the Houston Texans hosting the Los Angeles Chargers at 4:30 p.m. (CBS/Paramount+). Here are the voices you can expect to listen to when the Texans and Chargers kick off the dance.
Announcers for Los Angeles Chargers vs. Houston Texans
- Lead Play-by-Play Announcer: Ian Eagle
- Color Analyst: Charles Davis
- Sideline Reporter: Evan Washburn
The Texans vs. Chargers will have Ian Eagle as the lead play-by-play announcer. Eagle is a highly-regarded broadcaster known for his work across various sports, including football, basketball, and tennis. He is celebrated for his engaging and insightful play-by-play commentary and is prominently featured on most CBS broadcasts.
Eagle has had a stellar career calling NCAA March Madness basketball tournaments, NBA games, and even the French Open and the famed Army-Navy college football rivalry game. He’s certainly one of the most versatile broadcasters in professional sports.
Charles Davis will join him as the color commentator. Davis, a four-year starting safety for the Tennessee Volunteers, has had a unique journey that involves him not playing a down in the NFL, despite eventually emerging as one of the more knowledgeable analysts around. Eagle and Davis could make a case for being the top NFL broadcasting team at CBS.
Evan Washburn will be the sideline reporter during the game. After joining CBS in June 2014, Washburn has been on the sidelines for three Super Bowls. He often joins Davis and Eagle for NFL coverage. The 40-year-old also covers the Baltimore Ravens’ preseason game, lacrosse, and college basketball.
Los Angeles Chargers vs Houston Texans Preview
- Location: NRG Stadium, Houston
- Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
- Channel: CBS/Paramount+
The Chargers have thrived as road favorites this season, going 5-1 in such games. Their lone loss came against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7. Notably, Los Angeles covered the spread in all five of its road-favorite victories.
The Chargers finished fourth in PFN’s Defense+ rankings, largely thanks to their dominance against bottom-half offenses. Los Angeles faced eight teams that ranked in the bottom half of PFN’s Offense+ rankings this season, going 7-1 in those matchups. In those games, the Chargers allowed just 11.9 points per game while achieving a 64.0% defensive success rate.
Justin Herbert ended the regular season on a hot streak. Over his final three games—against the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Las Vegas Raiders—he led the league with 0.47 EPA per dropback. His cumulative QB+ grade during that stretch was 84.2 (B), which, over a full season, would have ranked 11th, just behind Patrick Mahomes.
The Texans’ pass rush could pose significant challenges. A major factor in Houston’s seventh-place finish in PFN’s Defense+ rankings was its ability to convert pressure into sacks.
While the Texans ranked 20th in overall pressure rate (33%), they finished fourth in sack rate (8.1%) and converted 24.7% of pressures into sacks—the fifth-best mark in the league.
Notably, the Chargers led the NFL in points allowed per game against bottom-half Offense+ units this season. The Texans finished 28th in PFN’s Offense+ metric, the lowest ranking of any team to qualify for the playoffs.
