Colts-Chargers takeaways: Jonathan Taylor, Daniel Jones torch L.A. defense

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By James Boyd, Daniel Popper and Amos Morale III

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor came into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers leading the NFL with seven rushing touchdowns. He added three more to that tally Sunday as the Colts picked up their sixth win of the year, 38-24 over Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium.

Taylor finished with 94 yards rushing in addition to his three touchdowns. He added 38 receiving yards on three catches. Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones passed for 288 yards and two touchdowns as the Colts won their third straight.

For the Chargers (4-3), quarterback Justin Herbert turned in the NFL’s second 400-yard passing game of the season, tossing three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Indy’s offense keeps rolling

The Colts entered Sunday’s game with the highest scoring offense in the NFL at 32.3 points per game, and they were even more potent against the Chargers. Indianapolis scored more than 30 points for the fifth time in seven games, highlighted by another three-touchdown performance from Taylor. Through the first five years of his career, Taylor had only two games with at least three total touchdowns. This year, he already has three games with at least three TDs.

Jones also continued his stellar play. The Colts QB was 23-of-34 passing for 288 yards and two touchdowns. The last time Jones played at SoFi Stadium, he threw two interceptions as the Rams handed the Colts their only loss of the season. But on Sunday, Jones was mistake-free again. The veteran passer has only committed three turnovers this season while scoring 14 total TDs. Facing third-and-10 from Indy’s 44-yard line, he delivered the dagger on the Colts’ final drive with a 13-yard pass to wide receiver Alec Pierce that allowed them to kneel out the clock. Pierce totaled five catches for a team-high 98 yards. — James Boyd, Colts beat writer

Colts defense hangs on

Indianapolis held the Chargers to just three points in the first half, punctuated by the Colts intercepting Hebert twice. Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart snagged the first pick — also the first of his career — by batting a second-quarter pass from Hebert into the air and pulling it down. Strong safety Nick Cross joined the party with an interception with just under two minutes left in the first half. He picked off Hebert in the end zone, which ultimately led to a 36-yard field goal by Colts kicker Michael Badgley to close out the first half.

Indianapolis’ defense was hardly as formidable after the break. Herbert, behind a depleted offensive line, led three straight TD drives to open the second half, but it wasn’t enough to complete a comeback. Down 14, the Chargers had a chance to make it a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter, but a sack by Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner for a 12-yard loss helped force a turnover on downs with 3:27 left in the fourth quarter. Indianapolis gave up 445 yards of total offense, marking the second straight week and third time this season the Colts have allowed 400 yards of total offense. — Boyd

Los Angeles’ defense searching for answers

The Colts’ offense thoroughly dominated the Chargers’ defense, and that mismatch turned this game into a blowout. It is clear now that coordinator Jesse Minter’s unit is not the same one that allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL last season. The Colts ran the ball when they wanted to run it. They passed when they wanted to pass. Taylor was untouched from inside or near the red zone on his three touchdowns. The Chargers’ run defense was a huge concern entering this game. Now all phases of the unit are crumbling.

Colts coach and play-caller Shane Steichen was scheming up open receivers all over the field. Tight end Tyler Warren was wide open in the flat on both of his 29-yard receptions. Pierce was wide open on a corner route for the Colts’ longest completion of the game, a 48-yarder that set up a touchdown in the second quarter. The Chargers have dealt with a mind-numbing amount of injuries along their offensive line. Amid those injuries, the team needed this defense to step up. Instead, Minter’s unit has unraveled. The Chargers cannot keep playing this way on defense and make the postseason. — Daniel Popper, Chargers beat writer

Turnovers prove costly

The Colts scored on four of their first five possessions, including three touchdowns. The Chargers’ offense had to keep pace to stay in the game, and the unit failed to do so because of two Herbert interceptions deep in Colts territory. The Colts entered this game with nine takeaways. The Chargers knew they were going to have to protect the football. Herbert will undoubtedly be frustrated with his two turnovers in the first half. Herbert finished with a career-high 420 passing yards. He kept the Chargers competitive in the second half. But the combination of turnovers and a horrid defensive performance sunk the Chargers’ chances pretty early on Sunday afternoon. — Popper

This news was originally published on this post .

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