C.J. Stroud barely practiced all week and woke up with chills on game day. Then he put together one of the best afternoons of his career.

Stroud threw five touchdown passes as the Houston Texans routed the winless Los Angeles Chargers 44-22 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. He completed 21 of 35 passes for 384 yards with one interception.

Two of his scoring throws went for 63 yards. One went to Tank Dell for his first touchdown in more than two years. The other went to Kayshon Boutte who caught two touchdowns on the day.

A flu game of his own

"I don't know what I had but was not feeling good" Stroud said. He credited his teammates and called the performance a testament to the team's resilience.

He threw to four different receivers and came up one touchdown short of the franchise record of six. Asked about the comparison to Michael Jordan's famous flu game in the 1997 NBA Finals, he smiled. "Not there yet" he said. "But maybe one day."

Houston scored on its opening drive when Stroud hit Xavier Hutchinson for a 17-yard touchdown. Boutte's 12-yard catch just before halftime made it 24-9. The Texans (3-5) have won three of four after an 0-4 start.

"C.J. has brought elite execution and playmaking ability" coach DeMeco Ryans said. "He really gives that confidence to the entire team."

The Chargers finally find the end zone

Los Angeles fell to 0-8 amid boos from the upper deck. The Chargers ended a 37-drive touchdown drought, the second longest in NFL history, when Justin Herbert hit Quentin Johnston for a 58-yard score in the fourth quarter. It was their first touchdown since Oct. 11.

Herbert was sacked a career-high eight times and later wore a large glove on his left hand to protect a taped finger. He said it should not be an issue. Backup DJ Uiagalelei threw his first career touchdown pass in relief. The Chargers have now lost 11 straight games dating to last season, which ties a franchise record.