Head coach Brandon Staley and the Los Angeles Chargers received a late Christmas present on Monday night. In front of a primetime audience, the Chargers clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2018.
The Chargers defense contained the Indianapolis Colts in a 20-3 Week 16 victory. Los Angeles kept Indianapolis scoreless after halftime and forced three total takeaways.
Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense had a relatively quiet night, but the offense wasn’t needed much in the playoff-clinching win.
Here are the winners and losers from Monday night’s AFC battle:
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Winners
Chargers defense
Playing without star safety Derwin James for most of the game (see below), the Chargers defense shut down a listless Colts offense.
The Chargers had Colts quarterback Nick Foles under duress all night. Los Angeles front seven got the better of the Colts offensive line and the Chargers’ secondary made life difficult for the Indy pass catchers.
Los Angeles’ defense had a season-high seven sacks and forced three interceptions. The Chargers defense held the Colts offense to just 173 total yards.
Six different players registered sacks. The Chargers defense allowed zero touchdowns for the first time in a single game since 2018.
Austin Ekeler hits paydirt again
Ekeler scored two touchdowns in the win, giving him an NFL-best 16 touchdowns from scrimmage this season. Both of Ekeler’s touchdowns came on short yardage runs.
The Chargers running back has a nose for the end zone.
Wide receiver Keenan Allen
Allen was once again Los Angeles’ most consistent target. He compiled a game-high 11 catches and 104 yards in the win. He was targeted 14 times by Herbert.
It was Allen’s fourth consecutive game with at least six receptions and 80 receiving yards.
Justin Herbert enters playoffs for first time
Herbert is the first player in NFL history to pass for 4,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. He only passed for 235 yards and threw an interception in the win, but earned the first playoff berth of his career.
Chargers’ momentum
Creating positive momentum is paramount this time of year for playoff teams. The Chargers are on a three-game winning streak. Los Angeles closes out the season against two teams below .500 (Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos).
Losers
Colts offensive line
The Colts offensive line was atrocious in the loss, allowing seven sacks. Foles faced constant pressure. The quarterback was hit nine times.
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Nick Foles
Foles became the Colts’ third different starting quarterback of the season in Week 16. Foles, who was the Super Bowl 52 MVP with the Philadelphia Eagles, performed poorly in his first start as a Colts QB. He was 17-for-29 passing for 143 yards and tossed three interceptions.
Even though Foles is an 11-year veteran, he was put in a tough spot. It was obvious he had no chemistry with his wide receivers.
Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday
Saturday fell to 1-5 as the Colts’ interim coach. His record doesn’t bode well for promotion after the season. But like Foles, he was placed in a very difficult situation. The Colts aren’t a very talented football club and their best two players, running back Jonathan Taylor and linebacker Shaquille Leonard, are both on injured reserve.
Derwin James exits early
James started the game with a performance worthy of being a winner, but the Chargers safety was ejected from the game after a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit on Colts wide receiver Ashton Dulin in the second quarter.
James was penalized on the play and disqualified from the game.
He had three tackles and one interception at the time of his exit.
Colts third-down efficiency
The Colts offense was dreadful on third downs versus the Chargers, going 0-for-10.
The Colts came into the night with the NFL’s 26th ranked offense on third down.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.
