CHARGERS (4-2) vs. COLTS (5-1)
When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday
Where: SoFi Stadium
TV/Radio: Ch. 2/ 640 AM; 94.3 FM (Spanish)
Line: Chargers by 1.5
Notable injury designations
Chargers: OUT: RT Trey Pipkins III (knee). DOUBTFUL: LT Joe Alt (ankle), S Elijah Molden (thumb). QUESTIONABLE: WR Derius Davis (knee), LB Troy Dye (thumb), RB Hassan Haskins (chest), OLB Khalil Mack (elbow), LB Denzel Perryman (ankle), OL Jamaree Salyer (knee).
Colts: OUT: WR Josh Downs (concussion), WR Ashton Dulin (chest), CB Charvarius Ward (concussion). QUESTIONABLE: RB Tyler Goodson (groin), CB Kenny Moore (Achilles).
What’s at stake: The Chargers didn’t exactly handle the Miami Dolphins with ease this past Sunday, needing a last-second rally to win on Cameron Dicker’s career-high fifth field goal of the game after giving up the lead on two fourth-quarter touchdowns. A victory for the Chargers, first place in the AFC West, over the Colts, first place in the AFC South, would ease some of the concerns about their overall play, especially their defense against the run lately. A loss would raise more questions about their ability to play with the NFL’s top teams, and the Colts have been a top team over the season’s first six weeks.
Who’s better: The Colts’ only loss this season was to the Rams at SoFi Stadium, a 27-20 defeat. Their victories have been over the Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. They have routed the poor teams and edged the good teams. So, let’s say for the sake of argument that the Colts are the better team. They do have one of the NFL’s top running backs in Jonathan Taylor, who is third overall in scrimmage yards (rushing and receiving) with 750. The Chargers have given up 100 yards or more on the ground to a running back in a victory over the Dolphins and a loss to the Washington Commanders. Indianapolis leads the league by averaging 32.3 points per game. The Colts also average 131.8 yards on the ground, sixth-best in the league.
Matchup to watch: The big question is whether the Chargers can slow down Taylor and quarterback Daniel Jones. They haven’t had much success defensively over the past two weeks, giving up 27 points each time. Jones has been outstanding, completing 71.7% of his passes for 1,502 yards and eight touchdowns with only three interceptions.
Chargers win if: It all has to fall into place for the Chargers to win. Their margin for error has been small over the past few weeks because so many key players have been sidelined by injuries. Even a fully healthy roster might have difficulty dealing with the Colts, though. The Chargers aren’t likely to stop Taylor and Jones, but slowing them down would be a key to a victory.
Fantasy sleeper: If it seems the Chargers rely a little too much on Dicker, it’s only because they do. Dicker’s five field goals in defeating Miami meant the Chargers weren’t as efficient as they could have been inside the 30-yard line, which is an issue that needs resolving sooner rather than later. Dicker is 14 for 14 on field goals this season and has matched his career high with a 55-yard boot. He hit from 58 yards against Miami, but the Chargers took the points off the board because of a penalty against the Dolphins. He later kicked a 35-yard field goal to cap the drive.
Prediction: The oddsmakers favor the Chargers by a slim margin, and maybe they’re right. But this feels like a game the Chargers can only win if they’re 100% healthy, and they definitely are not, with their top two running backs sidelined and several other key players questionable to play. Colts 28, Chargers 24.