The Chargers officially booked their playoff ticket on Monday night with a 20-3 mercy killing of a Colts team starting their third different quarterback of the season.
Here’s who got Los Angeles there and who should count themselves lucky to be on the ride.
Stud: Kyle Van Noy
Van Noy built upon his last two weeks of stellar performances with a near-game-breaking one on Monday. The veteran edge rusher/linebacker hybrid was everywhere against Indianapolis, making Nick Foles’ life harder by chasing after him, blowing up screens, and shutting down the run game. From the jump, Van Noy got pressure on Foles, including a QB hit in the first half that he followed up with a tackle for a loss of 9 on a screen to Deon Jackson. A fourth-quarter sack got him on the board, capping a fabulous game from one of the Chargers’ best players over the last few weeks.
Dud: Third quarter execution…again
It feels like beating a dead horse at this point, but this felt like the week LA could break out of their third-quarter slump, given the state of the Colts team. Instead, the Chargers extended their streak of third quarters without a touchdown to 10 games, the longest streak in any quarter this season in the NFL. A Trey Pipkins holding penalty negated a 30-yard pass to DeAndre Carter. LA turned an Asante Samuel Jr. interception into a 21-yard field goal after failing to punch the ball in. Carter muffed a punt, which didn’t result in a change of possession thanks to Deane Leonard touching the ball while out of bounds, but it was followed by a Justin Herbert fumble on which all four Colts defenders got pressure on the QB. As soon as the fourth quarter started, the defense got a fourth down stop that the Chargers turned into a touchdown. It’s bizarre!
Stud: Keenan Allen
Allen was feasting against Gus Bradley’s zone defense all night, frequently finding gaps in the coverage on his way to an 11-reception, 104-yard performance. Allen was targeted 14 times out of Herbert’s 31 pass attempts, a reflection of how he was individually cooking the Colts’ defenders. If there’s one gripe to be had, Allen couldn’t keep his feet in bounds on the double pass bullet from Herbert. Had he done that, he would’ve gotten his elusive touchdown; instead, he only got another 25 yards. Still, it was a performance that made one thing clear: no matter how athletically gifted Allen is in any given week, his savvy will get him the ball.
Dud: Offensive playcalling
Let’s do a visualization exercise real quick. Pretend you’re Joe Lombardi. Your offensive line has given up 21 sacks in their last five games, while the Colts just had seven sacks last week. Herbert generates the third-best quarterback rating in the league when throwing the ball on the move, while the Colts give up the second-worst QBR to quarterbacks on the run. So, what would you do?
If you said, “drop back like normal and watch Herbert get hit seven times”, congrats! You’ve truly channeled the spirit of Lombardi.
Okay, second question. You have a 6-foot-4 receiver (Mike Williams) and a 6’8” tight end (Donald Parham Jr.) who have made a career off of high-flying red zone touchdowns. You haven’t been calling those plays and the red zone efficiency is cratering. In theory, something needs to change. So, what do you do?
If you said, “nothing. Throw a screen to Keenan Allen and a two-yard route to Austin Ekeler on third and goal from the 10”, please find a mirror immediately. I think you might be Joe Lombardi.
Stud: Pass rush
The Chargers racked up seven sacks on Monday: two from Morgan Fox and one from Drue Tranquill, Kenneth Murray Jr., Kyle Van Noy, Khalil Mack, and Chris Rumph II. That’s practically every front-seven player who has generated any pocket pressure all season for LA. (Sorry, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Breiden Fehoko. Great run defense game tonight, though!) The Chargers didn’t even blitz very much in this one, evidenced by the lack of pressures generated by secondary players. Rather, the defensive line was able to win one-on-one matchups consistently and get home to Nick Foles.
Dud: Conservation of momentum
Remarkably, the Chargers are on this winning streak while flatly refusing to capitalize on any momentum-tilting plays or events at any point in any game. Tonight, the defense forced the Colts into a three-and-out, interception, interception, and three-and-out in their first four drives. LA responded in those instances with a three and out, interception, three and out, and then a touchdown to go up 7-0. A third Nick Foles interception yielded an eight-play drive that gained less than 3 yards a play and resulted in a field goal. At an even more granular level, the Chargers frequently went away from the hot hands on offense as they started to get into a rhythm. This is a team that is actively making things harder for themselves at every junction, and yet, they’ve clinched a playoff spot with their third straight win.
Stud: Kickoff coverage
Indianapolis came in with one of the hottest kick returners in the league, as Dallis Flowers had averaged 34.1 yards per return coming into tonight’s contest. While Flowers averaged 28 yards a return on his three chances this week, the starting field position on those opportunities was as follows: Indianapolis 28, Indianapolis 13, and Indianapolis 26. So, even though Flowers was taking it nearly 30 yards, he never got more than 3 yards beyond the 25, where the ball would’ve been spotted on a touchback. Credit to Ryan Ficken and his unit, which this week plugged in Raheem Layne for the injured Kemon Hall just for Layne to lay the wood on that return that ended at the 13.
Dud: Justin Herbert
Herbert had his moments of brilliance – he always does – but this was far from his best game. It was also his second straight game without a touchdown pass, compared to four turnovers in that same timeframe. His two turnovers today followed a familiar pattern. On the interception, he’s trying to force a third down throw into a tighter-than-tight window because the play call has all five eligible receivers within eight yards of the line of scrimmage on the same side of the field. On the fumble, the Chargers allow pressure from all four Colts rushers, and Herbert gets the ball bullied out of his hands. That’s not to absolve the star from any blame: he’ll be the first to tell you he needs to be better, and he said as much in his postgame interview on ESPN. That the Chargers can win games with him playing this way is. However, a good sign from now on, assuming Herbert can find his stride as the playoffs begin.
