NFL Highlights: Chargers Defeat Struggling Colts
The San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts seem to be going in opposite directions.
The Chargers, led by Philip Rivers, just seem to be getting better and better.
On the other hand, the Colts and Peyton Manning seem to be stepping down to make room for San Diego at the top.
But would one be more impressed with the great playing of the Chargers? Or the terrible performance of the Colts?
To go into Indianapolis and run the ball effectively surely supports the fact that the Chargers played great. They also shortened the game by minimizing the Colts’ chances of ball possession, and on top of that, dominated Manning and kept him from leading
his team down the field in passing.
Manning’s first win in the NFL came way back in 1998 against the Chargers. After that game, he said that he played “horrible.”
It’s pretty obvious that Manning would like to go back to ’98 and play “horrible” again.
The Rivers-led Chargers were looking for a fourth straight win and got it, winning 36-14.
The Kansas City Chiefs should be aware, with the Chargers right on their tail for the AFC West lead.
Every other Chargers game this season was all about Rivers and his offense, but on Sunday it was all about the defense. Ron Rivera has the Chargers playing in spire defense. They are able to play multiple cover schemes and go after the passer.
When you combine that with their dominant offense and an improvement in their special teams, the entire league should watch out for San Diego.
Against lesser opponents, Manning could probably carry the whole team. But against teams like the Chargers, Manning must really be missing his injured teammates. Runningbacks Mike Hart and Joseph Addai, tight end Dallas Clark, and wide receiver Austin Collie
were out with injuries, and it sure showed.
Although Manning is missing skilled players, getting four interceptions against him is something only a very experienced and solid defense could do. It appeared that on every single pass that Manning attempted, he faced intense pass rushing.
Another thing that the games made clear was that the Chargers can win the game without a big passing game by Rivers. Rivers was good, but he didn’t make a single TD pass. In this game, they dominated because of rushing and defense, especially fullback Mike
Tolbert, who ran for 103 yards from 26 carries and scored on TD.
The defense also played a great game, with Kevin Burnett and Eric Weddle returning two of four interceptions from Manning to the end zone for two defensive TDs.
"The defense was awesome," said Rivers. "Getting two defensive touchdowns was obviously huge, and they played well all night."
Manning also had something to say about his interceptions, stating, "Poor decision. That's something I have to avoid. So poor throw, poor decision."
In the first quarter, the Colts started off fine with a 4 yard pass from Manning to Jacob Tamme for a TD, giving them a 0-7 lead. Six minutes later, Chargers’ Nate Kaeding kicked a 28 yard field goal, followed by Burnett’s interception return for a TD. At
the end of the first, the score was 10-7 to the Chargers.
In the second, Kaeding kicked two more field goals, once for 33 yards and once for 50. Indianapolis responded by making a TD pass from Manning to Blair White for 22 yards, bringing them closer to the Chargers at the end of the first half, 16-14.
After that, nothing went right for the Colts.
The Chargers dominated in the remaining half, with Kaeding kicking a 30 yard FG in the third, followed by Weddle’s interception return, making it 26-14 at the end of the third.
In the fourth, Tolbert ran 3 yards for a TD, followed by another FG, this time for 20 yards. At the end of the game, the Chargers stood tall at 36-14.
The Chargers will play their next game at home against the Oakland Raiders on December 5, while the Colts will be getting ready to play against the Dallas Cowboys, also at home on the same day.
Stay tuned!
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