The Los Angeles Chargers secured a position in the AFC postseason field by beating the Indianapolis Colts 20-3 on Monday night.
After starting Matt Ryan in 12 games and Sam Ehlinger in two, the Colts went with 11-year veteran Nick Foles at quarterback against Los Angeles. Foles had taken two snaps this season before Monday night, when he completed 17-of-29 passes for 143 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions and got sacked seven times.
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Three of Indianapolis’ first six possessions ended in interceptions. The Colts’ final three series ended on failed fourth-down attempts. The Indianapolis offense went 0-for-10 on third down and 1-for-4 on fourth down against the Chargers, who lost their top defensive player, safety Derwin James, when he was ejected in the second quarter for a hit he put on wide receiver Ashton Dulin. By that point, James already had Los Angeles’ first interception.
Running back Austin Ekeler scored the game’s two touchdowns on 1-yard runs in the second and fourth quarters. He had 67 yards on 18 rushing attempts.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 24-of-31 passes for 235 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Los Angeles wide receiver Keenan Allen had 11 receptions for 104 yards.
Seven players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the Los Angeles-Indianapolis game:
· Colts cornerback Tony Brown (Alabama) played but did not record any stats.
· Colts defensive tackle Byron Cowart (Auburn) played but did not record any stats.
· Chargers tight end Gerald Everett (UAB/South Alabama) played but did not record any stats. Everett was not targeted in the game.
· Chargers long snapper Josh Harris (Auburn) handled the snaps on four punts, two field goals and two extra points.
· Ryan Kelly (Alabama) started at center for the Colts.
· Chargers punter JK Scott (Alabama) averaged 38.3 yards on four punts. Scott had a 42-yard punt for a fair catch at the Indianapolis 15-yard line, a 36-yarder that went out of bounds at the Indianapolis 30, a 33-yarder for a fair catch at the Indianapolis 22 and a 42-yarder for a touchback.
· Braden Smith (Auburn) started at right offensive tackle for the Colts.
By improving to 9-6, Los Angeles ensured it will be among the three wild-card teams in the AFC playoffs. The Baltimore Ravens also have secured one of those spots. That leaves six teams scrambling to claim the lone unfilled spot over the last two weeks of the regular season. At 4-10-1, Indianapolis is not one of those teams.
On New Year’s Day, the Chargers play as the home team against the Los Angeles Rams in their shared home of SoFi Stadium. The Colts visit the New York Giants on Sunday for Indianapolis’ next-to-last game of the season.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
