INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts entered Sunday afternoon with an opportunity to bolster their postseason resume, while also furthering their grip on the number-one seed in the AFC, while visiting the second-seed Los Angeles Chargers.

It was a tale of two halves, but the Colts came out on top with a commanding 38-24 win on the road, maintaining their lead atop the conference.

Early on, it looked like the Colts would boat-race the Chargers, forming a 23-3 lead going into halftime. There were no issues on offense and very few for their shorthanded defense.

Unfortunately for the Colts, their defensive warts began to show in the third quarter, and it could have cost them dearly. The pass rush wasn't quite cutting it for stretches, and injuries in the secondary were rearing their ugly head. At one point, LA scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was able to toss for a career-high 420 yards, while rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II had 164 yards, and receiver Keenan Allen added another 119.

Ultimately, the Colts' defense buckled down when they had to, forcing a turnover on downs on the Charger's final attempt of the game, a 21-play drive.

FIRST QUARTER

The Colts received the opening kickoff and got the scoring started with a bang. It took just five plays and 75 yards, but the Colts put points on the board first with a 23-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Taylor. Taylor dominated on the drive, amassing 46 of the 75 yards, and rookie tight end Tyler Warren also had a 29-yard catch and run on the drive. Kicker Michael Badgley missed the extra point, wide left, so it was a 6-0 lead.

The Chargers responded to the Colts' score with a fruitful drive of their own, knocking in a 43-yard field goal from Cameron Dicker. On the final third down of the drive, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert escaped pressure and threw an incomplete pass into the end zone, but a holding call on the Chargers was called. The Colts declined it, forcing the fourth down rather than allowing the Chargers to further their drive and potentially score a touchdown.

SECOND QUARTER

Indy put together an enormous drive on their second series of the game. It began with 7:35 left in the first quarter and lasted until six seconds into the second. The Colts converted three fourth downs on the drive, including the four-yard touchdown throw from Daniel Jones to Michael Pittman Jr. Badgley was good on the extra point this time, making it 13-3, Colts.

The Chargers got a 22-yard reception from Herbert to rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II on their first play, but then were forced to punt three plays later.

The Colts began pouring it on with their ensuing drive, going 80 yards downfield in eight plays as  Jones found Warren in the back of the end zone for the rookie's fourth touchdown of the season. Badgley's extra point made it 20-3 with 8:56 left in the first half.

Disaster struck the Chargers on their next drive. They drove just outside the red zone, but Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart batted a Herbert pass up in the air and then grabbed it as it fell out of the air for the interception.

The Colts had a three-and-out on the followup drive, but another interception by Herbert, this time by safety Nick Cross in the end zone, led the Colts to perfectly executing a conservative drive at the end of the half to get a 36-yard field goal from Badgley to make it 23-3.

THIRD QUARTER

The second half was loaded with points for both sides, as the four drives of the third quarter all resulted in touchdowns; two for either side.

The Chargers got touchdown throws from Herbert to Quentin Johnston (seven yards) and Keenan Allen (four yards).

The Colts got eight and 19-yard touchdowns from Taylor.

FOURTH QUARTER

The Chargers kept up their hot second half, scoring on the first drive of the fourth quarter. Herbert found Gadsden from 15 yards out to cut the Colts' lead to 38-24, with 13:40 left in the fourth quarter.

Following a Colts punt, the Chargers put together an incredibly lengthy drive of 21 plays. Two sacks on the drive by Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner came at incredibly opportune times, as the Chargers finally turned the ball over on downs.

The Colts took control and milked out the clock, securing their victory.

Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL. 

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