The Chargers have fallen to 4-3 after a 38-24 loss to the Colts at SoFi Stadium.
Here’s what to take away from the game.
Defensive woes
38 points is the second-most the Chargers have given up in the Jim Harbaugh and Jesse Minter era, just behind the 40 points LA allowed to Tampa Bay in Week 15 of last year. Indianapolis had 4 players with at least 50 yards from scrimmage, including 132 from Jonathan Taylor and 98 from Alec Pierce. LA struggled to get Colts quarterback Daniel Jones off his rhythm despite generating a decent amount of pressure, then continued to ratchet up the blitzes to try to force the Colts into errors. Instead, they gave up explosive plays in one of the worst defensive performances of Harbaugh’s time overseeing the Chargers.
Oronde Gadsden II breaks out
Gadsden exploded on Sunday for 7 catches for 164 yards and his first NFL touchdown, leading all Chargers receivers in yards. The rookie fifth-round pick’s best play of the day came in the third quarter, when he fought through a defensive holding penalty on Nick Cross to catch a Herbert pass, then reversed field and ran 53 yards to spark Los Angeles’ offense on what ended up as a touchdown drive. The Chargers have had a hard time getting production from their tight ends this season – Will Dissly had a drop on Sunday and Tyler Conklin has been benched after a few weeks of ineffective play – so Gadsden’s emergence is key news for their offense.
Run support
The Dolphins’ run defense had struggled all year entering last week’s game with the Chargers, but it still seemed like a positive on LA’s part that Kimani Vidal hit the 100-yard mark to make a major contribution towards a crucial win. On Sunday, Vidal returned to earth a bit, finishing with 9 carries for just 20 yards. The Chargers handed the ball off only 10 times total, in large part because they were trailing for the majority of the game, but it seemed like they abandoned the run because they knew it would not be effective this week. Most notable in that respect was that LA did not try to get Vidal to the perimeter as much as they did last week, which had been an effective plan for the second-year back.
Second half fight
The Chargers actually won the second half 21-15, but couldn’t muster a comeback after going down 23-3 in the first two frames. But Los Angeles began to find a rhythm in the second half, as Herbert threw all three of his touchdowns and the Chargers controlled the ball for nearly 22 minutes of the half while trying to claw their way back into the game. It’s a small moral victory, but it was encouraging that the team did not lay down and accept a blowout after the way the first half went.
Unsettled
Justin Herbert was hit 15 times on Sunday. Only three of those plays turned into sacks, but it is undeniable that the Chargers quarterback got beat up in what’s become a microcosm of the season. Fifth-string tackle Austin Deculus and Mekhi Becton both left parts of Sunday’s game due to injury to continue the decimation of the offensive line. Defensive tackles Teair Tart and Otito Ogbonnia were also injured on the other side of the ball. With so many injuries piling up, it’s felt like the Chargers have been unable to take a breath and collect themselves since the very early part of the season. Even their fourth quarter drive, a 21-play, 67-yard effort to try to bring it within one possession, felt harried and frantic. Better health is, allegedly, on the way, but it’s hard to trust this team in the meantime.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: 5 takeaways from Chargers’ loss to Colts in Week 7
Reporting by Alex Katson, Chargers Wire / Chargers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
