The Indianapolis Colts never trailed and delivered a statement road win to improve to 6-1 Sunday, overpowering the Los Angeles Chargers 38–24 at SoFi Stadium.
The NFL’s most electric offense steamrolled through another AFC opponent behind a balanced showcase that featured three rushing touchdowns from running back Jonathan Taylor for the third time this season to add to his league-leading 10 rushing scores. Indianapolis entered Week 7 averaging an NFL-best 6.8 yards per play on first down, and controlled the tempo from the opening drive to victory formation. Colts head coach Shane Steichen’s game plan to throw to score and run to win was put on full display as the blend of motion, misdirection and play-action kept the Chargers (4-3) off balance.
Quarterback Daniel Jones commanded with precision by completing 23 of 34 passes for 288 passing yards and two touchdowns. It certainly helps to play alongside the NFL’s leading rusher, who forces opponents to constantly bite at the fake. Jones continues to thrive when running play-action and making easy reads in Steichen’s run-pass-option scheme.
It took just five plays for Indianapolis to open the scoring in the first quarter as Taylor ripped through the Chargers’ front and turned on the jets for a 23-yard touchdown run that capped a 75-yard opening drive in under three minutes. Taylor finished with 94 rushing yards on 16 carries and added 38 receiving yards.
Jones engineered a marathon 17-play, 70-yard drive midway through the second quarter by converting a pair of fourth downs by faking the handoff to find receiver Michael Pittman Jr. slipping out of the backfield for a 2-yard touchdown pass. Pittman finished with seven catches for 58 receiving yards and scored his fifth touchdown catch of the season. In the next series, Jones connected with rookie tight end Tyler Warren on a slant for a 5-yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 20–3. Warren continued to prove he is a reliable option as a pass-catcher and finished with four catches for 69 receiving yards, while becoming the third rookie tight end in the Super Bowl era to reach the end zone in four straight games.
Indianapolis used two timely defensive takeaways to stun the Chargers to a 20-point deficit three different times. The Colts delivered perhaps the most pivotal sequence to seize control late in the second quarter when defensive tackle Grover Stewart batted a pass from Chargers QB Justin Herbert into the air and hauled in the interception to terminate the threat inside Colts territory. Safety Nick Cross picked off Justin Herbert in the end zone to end another Chargers threat on the first play following the two minute warning.
Even when the Chargers found their rhythm in the second half, Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner collected two clutch sacks in key moments and second-year edge rusher Laiatu Latu tallied his third sack of the year. The Chargers rallied with three consecutive touchdown drives to keep it relatively within striking distance, but the Colts matched with three scoring drives of their own that needed just five plays or less to reach the end zone.
The Colts capitalized on Ameer Abdullah’s 81-yard kickoff return, which set up the offense with tremendous field position inside the red zone. The Colts just needed seven offensive plays to add two more scores in the second half as Taylor rushed in twice more with an 8-yard score, followed by another 19-yard touchdown run to put the game on ice. Taylor’s fifth career performance with three rushing TDs tied Edgerrin James for the franchise record.
The Colts return home to host the reeling Tennessee Titans (1-6) next Sunday inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
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