Indianapolis Colts 26, San Diego Chargers 22
Here are the biggest takeaways and highest-graded players from the Colts’ win over the Chargers:
Quarterback grade: Philip Rivers 74.1
It was efficient if not exciting from Rivers, who did most of his work on underneath routes. He avoided putting the ball in dangerous situations but will rue some costly misses on third down that could have changed the game.
Top offensive grades:
T Joe Barksdale, 83.0
C Matt Slauson, 79.5
QB Philip Rivers, 74.1
WR Dontrelle Inman, 69.9
WR Tyrell Williams, 69.5
Chargers feel the loss of Danny Woodhead
The Chargers tried to get Melvin Gordon going, but the former first-round pick failed to make an impact. The line didn’t help but the great backs can make something happen, and Sunday Gordon looked incapable of doing that as he broke just the one tackle and contributed just 2.2 yards per carry.
Top defensive grades:
LB Jatavis Brown, 88.0
CB Casey Hayward, 87.0
DE Corey Liuget, 80.0
DE Tenny Palepoi, 80.0
LB Denzel Perryman, 78.1
Brown a star in the making?
Besting his previous snap count high of 31 by one, Jatavis Brown continues to flash the kind of playmaking ability that will make it hard for the Chargers not to put him on the field more. He turned his sack into a big fumble of Andrew Luck, added two more defensive stops and two pass breakups.
Quarterback grade: Andrew Luck, 79.3
A game of two halves for Luck
The first half was very much the bad Andrew Luck — an avoidable fumble, an unnecessary pick and a whole lot of questions. Fortunately for the Colts, it was a much better second half that saw Luck continue to be aggressive but with far greater precision. The worry is how he continues to struggle against pressure, averaging just 3.4 yards per attempt on the 14 plays he was pressured.
Top offensive grades:
WR T.Y. Hilton, 90.4
T Anthony Castonzo, 83.1
G Jack Mewhort, 81.4
QB Andrew Luck, 79.3
HB Robert Turbin, 71.2
Hilton a real difference-maker
There can be no denying why the Colts won this game, and it boils down to the performance of T.Y. Hilton. He proved too much for the Chargers talented secondary, pulling in a beautiful sideline grab in the third and making the play of the day to put the Colts ahead late in the fourth.
Top defensive grades:
CB Antonio Cromartie, 83.2
S Clayton Geathers, 82.9
DE Henry Anderson, 81.5
DE Kendall Langford, 80.5
S Mike Adams, 80.2
Colts come up big when it matters
A good day for the Colts defense was highlighted by how they performed when it really mattered. The ultimate big play saw Clayton Geathers recover from getting beat to force what would prove the game-clinching fumble on Hunter Henry, but the return of Henry Anderson brought with it a play almost as big. With the Chargers needing a conversion to ice the game, Anderson brought the pressure on third down and laid a big hit on Rivers, with the pressure no doubt playing a part in creating an off-target throw. Big moments win big games.
PFF Game-Ball Winner: Indianapolis WR T.Y. Hilton
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