The Indianapolis Colts host the San Diego Chargers Sunday afternoon. The Colts are desperate to avoid an 0-3 start while the Chargers need weather a rash of injuries on offense to remain competitive in the division.
The Colts sit at 0-2 and host the 1-1 Chargers in Week 3. We got in touch with Bolt Beat to get some inside information on this week’s opponent. Editor Travis Wakemen gave us the goods on the Chargers before game time. And make sure to check out what I had to say about the Colts heading into this week’s contest.
Here’s what Walden had to say:
How will the offense adapt without Keenan Allen and now Danny Woodhead? Who has to step up in their places?
I feel the offense already showed it would be fine without Allen when it racked up 38 points against Jacksonville. The Woodhead injury could hurt, but the signing of Dexter McCluster is one that people should watch. He has inexperienced playing in an offense ran by Ken Whisenhunt and he is a good receiver out of the backfield. He should be able to be a suitable replacement for Woodhead on third downs. At the same time, Melvin Gordon should get even more work now and with the way he’s been running, that’s a good thing.
The big news from the Chargers this offseason was the contract negotiations with Joey Bosa. From your perspective, what was the problem and when do you expect him to play?
It’s hard to say what the “problem” was in the whole ordeal. Many fans in San Diego drew a line in the sand. Some were on Bosa’s side, some were on the side of the front office. Me personally, I was against Bosa holding out. All he did was hurt the team in the process and I saw the whole thing as completely selfish, especially after the remarks made by his mother. At this point, I just want to see him get out on the field and play. He’s been nothing but a distraction since the team drafted him.
What are your expectations for the Chargers this season? Is there a chance they’ll make a push in the division or did the collapse against the Chiefs lower your opinion?
It’s hard to say. If you asked me this question last week, I’d say they were in for a long year. But the team looked so good against Jacksonville. I think the next 3 weeks will tell you a lot about this team. I don’t know if they’ll be able to make a run at the division title, but a Wild Card berth could be a reasonable possibility. Of course, if they come out and lay an egg against the Colts, I might feel completely different if asked this question again next week.
What is the latest on a possible move to Los Angeles? Is there any chance a stadium deal in San Diego will actually be reached or is it inevitable the team will be moving?
I’ve read reports that say the move is “increasingly inevitable” and I’ve read reports like the one Peter King of Sports Illustrated wrote that said it would make no sense to put another team in Los Angeles. Fans in San Diego won’t want to hear it, but it sounds like the city is dangerously close to losing the team. Some data suggests that a stadium vote would not do well on the upcoming ballot, which could give the organization few options other than to relocate.
What is your prediction for Sunday’s game? Who wins and why?
This is a tough game to predict. Are we going to see the Chargers from Week 1 or the Chargers from Week 2? Personally, I find i hard to predict against Andrew Luck at home in a must-win scenario, but I have to take the myriad of injuries the Colts are facing into consideration. Another interesting stat is that Philip Rivers is 5-1 against the Colts in his career. I’ll go with the Chargers in a high-scoring affair.
Chargers 31-27.