Indianapolis (5-1) at Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, CBS
BetMGM NFL Odds: Chargers by 1 1/2
Against the spread: Colts 4-2; Chargers 2-3-1
Series record: Chargers lead 18-10.
Last meeting: Chargers beat Colts 20-3 in Indianapolis on Dec. 26, 2022.
Last week: Colts beat Cardinals 31-27; Chargers beat Dolphins 29-27.
Colts offense: overall (4), rush (6), pass (5), scoring (1).
Colts defense: overall (19), rush (12), pass (22), scoring (4).
Chargers offense: overall (7), rush (13), pass (9), scoring (23).
Chargers defense: overall (7), rush (21), pass (6), scoring (13).
Turnover differential: Colts plus-5; Chargers minus-1.
RB Jonathan Taylor. He’s quickly becoming must see every week. He leads the NFL in carries (115), yards rushing (603) and TD runs (seven). He’s the only player in the league averaging 100 yards per game. Taylor also has been on quite the run lately, too. He is coming off a 123-yard performance in which he scored the winning TD with 4:32 left to play.
RB Kimani Vidal had a breakout game in his first career start, rushing for 124 yards on 18 carries with Omarion Hampton (ankle) out. Vidal also had three receptions for 14 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Los Angeles needs balance to minimize the number of hits QB Justin Herbert takes behind a beat-up offensive line, and Vidal more than met the challenge in his first try.
Chargers offensive line vs. Colts pass rush. Indianapolis is shaky in the secondary because of injuries, as was evident in its Week 4 visit to SoFi Stadium when Rams QB Matthew Stafford threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns to hand the Colts their only defeat so far. Hebert is more than capable of putting up similar numbers if he gets time in the pocket. DE Laiatu Latu has two interceptions but only one sack, so Los Angeles’ spotty play at the tackle spots might be just what the former UCLA standout needs to get going.
Colts: Backup QB Anthony Richardson went on injured reserve earlier this week with a fractured orbital bone suffered while stretching during pregame warmups last week. It’s not yet clear whether starting CB Charvarius Ward (concussion protocol) will be cleared before Sunday after he also was hurt during pregame warmups. CB Kenny Moore II (Achilles tendon) and backup RB Tyler Goodson (groin) continue to miss practice, and WRs Josh Downs (concussion protocol) and Ashton Dulin (chest) did not practice Wednesday.
Chargers: OLB Khalil Mack (elbow) returned to practice this week following a stint on injured reserve, potentially putting him in line to be active on Sunday. WR Quentin Johnston (hamstring) is on track to return after being held out against Miami. RT Trey Pipkins III (knee) hasn’t practiced this week and could miss another game.
Indy has lost the past two matchups and five of the past six in this series. ... The Colts also have lost five straight in Los Angeles, including earlier this season against the Rams. Indy hasn’t beaten any of the L.A. teams — the Rams, Chargers or Raiders — in Los Angeles since 1986 when they beat the Raiders 30-24.
Indianapolis’ best start since going 14-0 in 2009 has it atop the AFC South entering Week 7. ... The Colts lead the league in point differential (plus-78) and wins by 20 or more points (three). ... Indy and Tampa Bay are the only teams to top the 20-point mark in each of their first six games. Only Detroit (24) has more total touchdowns than Indy (22), and the Colts have scored TDs on each of their past 10 red zone drives. ... QB Daniel Jones has been sacked a league-low five times and has the second-highest completion rate, 71.7%, through the first six games of a season in franchise history. Peyton Manning completed 72.6% of his throws in 2009. ... Tyler Warren is the first TE in NFL history to average at least 10.0 yards per catch through each of his first six games and can tie the league record for most consecutive games with a TD for rookie TEs. Heath Miller had four straight with Pittsburgh in 2005 and Evan Engram did it in 2017 with the New York Giants. ... Indy has allowed three points following turnovers, the second-lowest total in the league, and its seven interceptions rank third. … Herbert directed his 18th career game-winning drive versus the Dolphins, which is second only to Patrick Mahomes (19) for most in the NFL since 2020. … WR Keenan Allen is closing in on two Chargers franchise records held by his former teammate, TE Antonio Gates. Allen needs 19 receptions and 996 yards to pass Gates, who had 955 catches for 11,841 yards. … Los Angeles gave up one sack for minus-1 yard in Miami after allowing Herbert to be dropped seven times for minus-46 yards during its two-game losing streak. … PK Cameron Dicker was the AFC special teams player of the week after making five field goals in the win over the Dolphins. He has made 105 of 111 field-goal attempts, and Dicker’s 94.6% conversion rate is the best in league history. … The Chargers have scored two rushing touchdowns this season, which is tied with Tennessee and Cincinnati for 29th in the NFL. San Francisco ranks last with one touchdown run. … Los Angeles picked off Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa three times, its second three-INT game this season (Week 2 against Las Vegas).
Taylor, who leads the NFL with eight total touchdowns and ranks third in scrimmage yards (750), has a great chance to add to those tallies against the Chargers run defense. Los Angeles has allowed an average of 153.7 yards rushing over its past three games, including more than 100 yards and two touchdowns to both Washington’s Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Miami’s De’Von Achane.
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