INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Houston Texans defense is the type that reminds observers that even the most otherworldly men opposite this unit are mortal after all.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert put together a drive in the third quarter of Saturday’s 20-16 Texans win that, in any other scenario, probably would have demoralized his opponent, vaulted him into MVP contention (I can argue he’s there, anyway) and perhaps stalled Houston’s playoff-clinching evening a little longer.

Herbert converted a third-and-14 with a scramble that sent some of the NFL’s best defenders bouncing off of him, then somehow stayed upright on a hit on a subsequent third-and-6 before firing an 8-yard throw up the middle. His touchdown pass a couple of plays later to a wide-open Oronde Gadsden, which made this a one-score game, looked simple by comparison.

There, things may have swung toward Los Angeles for the first time all game.

But no, there are few powers higher than this Texans defense, after all. Let standout safety Jalen Pitre sum it up.

“God is the greatest,” he said postgame with a good-natured smile. “The Texans defense is probably second.”

The Texans are on an eight-game winning streak and will be in the postseason for the third consecutive season, this year thanks in significant part to a defense that entered Week 17 at No. 1 in success rate, No. 2 in pressure rate and perhaps most importantly, No. 1 in points per game (16.6), according to TruMedia.

“Everybody really wants to win, play in and play out,” added Pitre. “… The injuries that a lot of players on our team had on the defensive side, Azeez (Al-Shaair) and Kamari (Lassiter), guys are fighting through things that people don’t even know about, but they’re still going out and executing. Everybody wants to win really badly. When you’ve got guys like that, that’s putting it on the line, it’s hard to not want to give your best like them.”

After Herbert’s hero-ball scoring drive, the Texans offense stalled after just five plays to give him the ball right back early in the fourth quarter. Again, Houston’s defense held, adding to their eight total tackles for a loss in Saturday’s game and not allowing Herbert and the Chargers offense to cross their own 21-yard line. Ultimately, Herbert brought L.A. within 4 points, but with only 3:32 left to play, all Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud and the offense had to do was salt the game away.

Now, let’s be clear: This win was not a given.

As they have all season, the Texans offense struggled to find a rhythm or even stay very efficient. Their start on Saturday, though, was close to perfect. Stroud hit two explosive pass plays for touchdowns on Houston’s first two possessions, including one on the third play of the game. That was a beautiful third-and-1 deep ball to rookie receiver Jayden Higgins on a route that veered inward toward the middle of the field. On the next drive, Stroud hit another rookie, Jaylin Noel, on a similar but shorter concept from the opposite side, again attacking the deeper middle of the field, this time for a 43-yard touchdown.