Don't look now, but the Indianapolis Colts are a legitimate powerhouse in the NFL. It might sound crazy to say in a game where their opponent put 24 points on the board, but there was no point in this contest that the Colts felt out of control. A performance to the tune of 38 points against a 4-2 team is definitely something to write home about.
In the week building up to the Colts versus Chargers, the main buzz around the game was that the winner would take the place of the first seed in the AFC for the playoff picture through 7 weeks. This Chargers team (while yes, very injured) is by no means a pushover, and in a lot of respects is a very good team.
The main talking point that critics of Indianapolis have used is that they haven't beaten any true juggernauts in the NFL. If a team that is challenging for the number one seed with a record of 4-2 isn't counted among the elite of the league, then what is?
Who won and lost from the Indianapolis Colts' Week 7 victory?
No matter how injured they were, the Colts went out and faced who they could play, and they won in convincing fashion. This is a game where there were a lot more winners for Indy than losers, so let's see who stood out.
Winner No. 1: Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor is among the exceedingly rare group of running backs that are so transcendentally good at football that they warrant discussion in an award that is basically given out to only quarterbacks. Especially in a year where no quarterback is lighting the world on fire, there is a definite case that the MVP should be given to the running back who is most definitely scorching the league.
Not only did Jonathan Taylor tack on yardage to retain his crown as the NFL's rushing yards leader through Week 7 (697 yards), but he exploded with yet another three-touchdown game, his third of the season. At this point, it's almost routine for him. Taylor leads the league with 10 touchdowns total through Week 7.
Taylor has been arguably the very best player in the National Football League this year. He's led in rushing yards and in touchdowns almost every week of the year, and he's been absolutely torching opposing defenses. It's time his name was thrown in the ring for legitimate MVP contention.
Winner No. 2: DeForest Buckner
DeForest Buckner has been quietly having an amazing year. He never gets the acclaim he deserves because of his position, but at that position, Buckner is easily one of the most impactful players in the league. The Chargers came into this game with a beat-up offensive line, and Buckner took advantage.
On the stat sheet, Buckner registered two sacks and four QB hits. However, those stats don't tell the entire story. One of those sacks came at a crucial point in the game, and it swung the momentum back in the Colts' favor in a huge way.
The Chargers were driving with around four minutes left of gametime, aiming to score a touchdown to bring the game within one possession. It was second down, and LA was at the Colts 20, with Herbert playing dangerously well to close out the game.
Enter Buckner, who brought down Herbert with a huge sack that played a massive part in sealing the game away for Indy. Buckner is an oft-underappreciated hero for this team, but he is a hero nonetheless.
Winner No. 3: Nick Cross
Speaking of huge defensive plays that swung the momentum of the game, it would be impossible to mention Buckner's sack without also mentioning a pivotal play made by Nick Cross. Cross has been a bright spot in a secondary that's been the Achilles heel for this Colts team, and against the Chargers, he came up big for Indy yet again.
The score was 20-3 in the Colts' favor with two minutes to go before halftime, but Justin Herbert and the Chargers were within 10 yards of Indianapolis' endzone, threatening to cut the Colts' lead down to a much more manageable 10 points before half. That was when Nick Cross made what was arguably the play of the game, picking off Herbert in the endzone.
That play not only stopped the Chargers from scoring, but allowed the Colts to drive down the field themselves and tack on another three points to their lead before time expired. That's essentially a 10-point swing, and had Cross not made that play when he did, this game would have been a lot closer as it ran into crunch time.
Loser No. 1: The secondary
It's hard to find things to complain about when talking about a team that is 6-1, holds the number one seed in the AFC, and put up 38 points against a quality team in dominant fashion. However, there was still some ugliness to this game, and it came in the form of the pass defense. They performed admirably in the first half, holding the Chargers to three points despite yielding significant yardage.
Unfortunately, in the second half, they crumbled a bit. The defense allowed the Chargers to put up 21 points in the second half, and while doing it, let Justin Herbert post the highest single-game yardage he's had in his career. That's impressive, considering how good Herbert has been in this league since he was drafted.
The team got away with it because of how dominant this Indianapolis offense is (and they are truly dominant indeed). Still, the most consistent way to win in this league is to play complementary football.
Even though it may seem like the offense can sleepwalk its way to 30 points every week right now, there will come a time when that isn't true. When that time comes, the defense will have to be ready if Indy wants to truly contend for a championship this year.
Loser No. 2: Michael Badgley
Like the above section said, on a day that was this much of a smashing success, its hard to find real losers for the Colts. That said, while Michael Badgley had only one mistake on the day, kickers are graded on a much harsher curve than everyone else. One mistake when you are only on the field for five meaningful snaps means that mistake is a pretty big error.
Badgley missed an extra point to start the contest, and early on had fans of Indianapolis pining for the days when Spencer Shrader was automatic for the PAT attempts. Luckily, he turned it around and didn't miss a kick for the rest of the day. Even better, Steichen erased that mistake from the score sheet when the team went for two after a Jonathan Taylor touchdown to open the second half.
Unfortunately, the very fact that Steichen felt like the right move there was to go for the two-point conversion shows the lack of trust he has in the kicker. In a league where kickers only seem to be getting better at their job by the week, not having a reliable option can be a real killer. Luckily, it didn't matter this week, but in closer games, those mistakes matter (just ask a Giants fan).
This week was nothing less than an outstanding win for Indianapolis. They proved that not only can they hang with the winning teams of the NFL, but that they can dominate them.
With Week 8 seeing the struggling Tennessee Titans coming to town, it's hard to imagine this team coming out with anything less than a record of 7-1. It's a great time to be a fan of this team, Colts fans. Make sure to enjoy it.