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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Kevin Hickey

Instant analysis of the Colts’ 20-3 loss to the Chargers

The Indianapolis Colts (4-10-1) will mercifully no longer play on live television in 2022, and they played uninspired football in the 20-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers (9-6) on Monday night.

The switch at quarterback to Nick Foles provided no spark at all as the offense continued to labor through each drive. They mustered just three points and squandered a solid game from the defense yet again.

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Here’s our instant analysis from the Colts’ 20-3 loss to the Chargers in Week 16:

What went right

Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
  • TE Jelani Woods continued to show explosiveness, leading the team with 43 receiving yards and 14.3 yards per reception.
  • DE Dayo Odeyingbo registered 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss.
  • DT DeForest Buckner had 1.5 sacks, a quarterback hit, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
  • The defense was solid in the red zone, keeping the Chargers to just 50% on their four drives inside the 20.
  • They forced two turnovers against Chargers QB Justin Herbert.
  • RB Zack Moss was efficient, taking 12 carries for 65 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
  • Interim head coach Jeff Saturday was 2-for-2 on his challenges.
  • The Colts solidified their spot as a top-five pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

What went wrong

Robert Scheer-USA TODAY Sports
  • QB Nick Foles was a disaster. He completed 58.6% of his passes for 143 yards, no touchdowns, three interceptions and a 31.9 passer rating.
  • The Colts offense went 0-for-10 on third down attempts and 1-for-4 on fourth-down attempts.
  • The offense averaged 3.5 yards per play and 2.9 net yards per pass attempt.
  • Foles was sacked seven times, a handful of which were caused by his indecisiveness and lack of elusiveness.
  • The Colts’ five second-half drives were as follows: interception, punt, turnover on downs, turnover on downs, turnover on downs.
  • The Colts have now been outscored 90-9 in the fourth quarter of Jeff Saturday’s six games.

The Bottom Line

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

This should have been the expected result. The Colts stink. The offseason can’t get here soon enough. The only silver lining is that they could find their way into a top-five pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

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