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Week 19 Game Recap: San Diego Chargers 28, Indianapolis Colts 24
What you need to know
| San Diego Chargers |
Despite losing RB LaDainian Tomlinson early in the second quarter and QB Philip Rivers late in the third quarter (both to knee injuries, and both are questionable to play next week), the San Diego depth rose up and pulled out the victory in the late stages of the game over the heavily favored Colts. The Chargers will move on to play the undefeated New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game, a rematch of sorts of last year's divisional playoff game between the two teams.
WR Vincent Jackson continued his outstanding play of a week ago. He led the team in targets, receptions, and yards, and scored the first touchdown of the game for San Diego.
QB Philip Rivers may well have played the game of his life. He did a lot of damage without throwing a whole lot of passes, and as has become his custom, he ran his mouth with the Indianapolis fans both during and after the game.
| Indianapolis Colts |
QB Peyton Manning will take some of the blame for being unable to bring his team back for a game-winning drive, but in reality he played an outstanding game. Neither of the two turnovers were his fault, as both were intercepted off deflections.
The Colts vaunted defense was carved up by the Chargers to the tune of 400 total yards and 28 points. To make matters worse, they allowed a game winning touchdown drive led by backups, QB Billy Volek and RB Michael Turner (both QB Philip Rivers and RB LaDainian Tomlinson were on the bench for the entire fourth quarter with knee injuries).
TE Dallas Clark had six receptions for a game high 95 yards and a touchdown, but couldn't get his hands around a fourth down lob from Peyton Manning in the waning moments of the game to extend the desperation drive.
What you ought to know
| QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 14 - 19 - 264 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 0 - 0 |
There are two ways to look at the performance of Rivers. On the one hand, he threw three touchdown passes and continued to bring his team back from the precipice of defeat, played valiantly and fought through every single second on every single play. On the other hand, he left the game with a knee injury late in the third quarter and did not return. On his way to the locker room to get checked out, he was jawing with the fans pretty much the entire time. He then backed up his talk by...remaining on the sidelines the entire fourth quarter while Billy Volek engineered the game winning touchdown drive. Rivers stated afterwards that he could have returned to the game, but the fact is that he didn't. And when the final seconds ticked off the clock, Rivers decided to tick off the fans some more, goading them into some trash talk behind the San Diego bench. Chargers fans love the fiery Rivers, but he is fast gaining a reputation around the league as something of a pest and a big talker. As long as he keeps winning playoff games, however, it's unlikely that very many people in southern California will mind. As for his play on the field, it's almost a shame that he tends to make the story about his shenanigans because his play has really grown to new heights recently. He made some absolutely perfect throws, notably the touchdown passes to Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers. He also completed a key third down pass play to Chris Chambers late in the third quarter and constructively used his emotion to get his teammates fired up after the play. That drive led to the Darren Sproles touchdown, Rivers' final play of the afternoon.
While he says he could have returned to the game, he'll still be officially listed as questionable for the AFC Championship game. However, judging from his sideline demeanor and his competitive nature, it would be quite a shock to us if he didn't suit up to play next Sunday afternoon in New England. At one point, he was also having his right (throwing) hand looked at on the sideline, but it was never mentioned again and didn't seem to pose any sorts of problems for him.
| QB Billy Volek, Pass: 3 - 4 - 48 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - -1 - 1 |
When starter Philip Rivers left the game after re-injuring his knee on the final play of the third quarter, it fell on Volek to lead the Chargers back from a 24-21 deficit in a hostile environment with just over ten minutes left in the game and sitting at his own 22 yard line. Upon opening the drive, Volek played flawlessly. He engineered a nine play, 78 yard drive that ate up over five minutes of time and culminated with Volek himself diving into the end zone on a QB sneak for the eventual game-winning touchdown. During the drive, he didn't really try to do too much but he did make some nice plays in eluding the rush and finding the open man. On the 27 yard screen pass to Legedu Naanee, he found the most open man and enabled him to get downfield and into Colts territory to set up the score. Rivers is expected to be healthy enough to play in next week's AFC Championship Game, but if he can't (or if he is forced from the game at any point), Volek showed in very limited action that he can be relied upon in certain situations for his team.
| RB Michael Turner, Rush: 17 - 71 - 0 (1 targets) |
With LaDainian Tomlinson out of commission for the entire second half, Turner (an impending free agent) had an opportunity to make himself a whole boatload of cash this offseason with a dynamic performance. While he may not have lit up the stat sheet, Turner did a very serviceable job in place of the injured Tomlinson. A large reason for Turner's lower per carry average is because a good deal of his runs came late in the game during obvious rushing situations. Indianapolis was able to stack the line on several occasions and have no fear about getting beaten downfield. Turner had very few holes to run in, and a less powerful back wouldn't have gotten anywhere near the 71 yards Turner picked up. He also was very close to an extremely costly gaffe on the last touchdown drive. He was taken down at the goal line and the ball came loose, though he was ruled down on the play. Not much mention was made of it because he certainly was down, but the ball didn't come loose because of the ground; it came loose because it was knocked loose by the Colts. He just happened to already have his knee on the ground. Otherwise, this could have been a very different outcome. QB Billy Volek dove in from a yard out on the next play for the eventual game-winning score. He also had a chance to seal the victory without giving Indianapolis the ball, but he was stopped short of first down yardage on three runs late in the fourth quarter. Had he picked up ten yards on those three carries, the game would have ended on kneeldowns. As it was, he only managed seven yards, and the Chargers punted away to give Peyton Manning one last chance to win (which he was of course unable to do).
Tomlinson is expected to play next week's game, but if he cannot go then obviously Turner would have a far larger workload. Even if Tomlinson does suit up, it stands to reason that Turner's role could be expanded somewhat to give Tomlinson's knee more rest.
| RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 7 - 28 - 0, Rec: 1 - 20 - 0 (1 targets) |
In what was probably the biggest game of his career to this point, Tomlinson didn't stick around very long to play in most of it. He had a nondescript beginning to his afternoon when he took an inside handoff to the six yard line. Tomlinson was spun down awkwardly and fumbled the football, which was recovered by San Diego. But more importantly, Tomlinson's left knee was either banged into or twisted under the pile and he was forced from the game. He was seen on the sideline rubbing the knee and trying to work the problem out by riding on the stationary bike. At one point, he was jogging and doing some quick cuts and was seemingly ready to come back in. But when the second half began, Tomlinson remained on the sideline (in uniform) and never came back in. After the game, it was revealed that he had suffered a bruised knee and will be listed as questionable for next week's AFC Championship Game. Judging by the way he was walking around on the sideline and the fact that he remained on the sideline for the entire second half, it seems like he'll be able to play in the game. But at this point, that is just speculation and we'll obviously have a more definitive word on his status as the news comes in throughout the week.
| RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 1 - 56 - 1 (3 targets) |
Despite just two offensive touches, Sproles managed to turn in one of the biggest plays of the entire afternoon. With the Chargers trailing 17-14 late in the third quarter and LaDainian Tomlinson on the bench for the entire second half, Sproles took a screen from Philip Rivers up the left side for a seemingly innocuous gain. But after getting to the edge, Sproles took off like a missile on a straight line for the end zone and scored a 56 yard touchdown. The play seemed to mean as much to the San Diego psyche as it did on the scoreboard. Despite their star being out of commission, San Diego had once again found a way to get back into the game.
| WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 7 - 93 - 1 (8 targets) |
Jackson picked up where he left off a week ago and continued his superb play. He snagged a team-high seven balls for 93 yards and had a highlight reel touchdown grab on a corner fade where he out-leapt the defender for the ball and snagged it out of the air for the score. He had earlier shown nice hands on a fade over the middle, and later in the contest he displayed some nice moves after the fact with a terrific cut-back along the sideline to pick up several extra yards. Jackson struggled a bit early in the season and really had a tough time in the first few weeks after Chris Chambers showed up, but he has continued to progress as the season has gone on and he has really made his presence felt in the first two weeks of the postseason. Philip Rivers now looks to him in any and all situations, and has the utmost confidence in the young receiver no matter the play call.
| WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 3 - 67 - 1 (4 targets) |
In a very short time, Chambers has proven quite adept at making the most of limited opportunities. In this game, his first passing target came late in the second quarter and his first reception didn't come until after halftime. Of course, that first reception just so happened to be a 30 yard bomb for a touchdown down the left sideline. Chambers made a nice grab on the run and held on despite taking a big hit at the end of the play, something he has shown a propensity to do quite a bit. Later, he was the target of a pass on a third and 14 pass play. Chambers showed very nice hands in snagging the ball that was thrown at his side, and picked up the first down. That play was huge, because two plays later was the touchdown pass to Darren Sproles that put San Diego up 21-17.
| TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (4 targets) |
All week, all the signs pointed to Gates not being healthy enough to suit up for this game. He had dislocated the big toe on his left foot, and it wasn't revealed until the morning of the game that he would be able to go. He wasn't heavily involved in the offense, catching just two passes. But his mere presence underneath helped open up the outside passing lanes for the likes of Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson. On one deep ball down the sideline, Gates looked very awkward trying to catch up to, and then lunge for, the football at the last moment. With another week to get healthy, Gates should be at least somewhat more involved in next week's conference title game.
| PK Nate Kaeding 0 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 4 points |
Kaeding's playoff struggles continued, as he banged a 46 yard attempt off the right upright. The kick had plenty of distance, but never really looked like it had a chance. Following the kick, Indianapolis S Bob Sanders was whistled for a taunting penalty after jumping on Kaeding and making contact with him in an attempt to egg him on. After missing several kicks in his brief playoff career and the fact that at least one of his opponents seemed to be making light of his continued struggles, one must question Kaeding's confidence heading into next week's AFC Championship game against the Patriots.
| SD Rush Defense |
After halftime, San Diego wasn't really tested much in this phase of the game. The Colts threw 48 passes versus just 18 rushes, which is certainly not typical of the recent Tony Dungy led Colts teams. It is unclear why they got away from the run so much, because it's not as if the Chargers completely swamped them and took them out of their game. Joseph Addai didn't break any huge gains, but he did pick up 43 yards on 13 carries. Typically, a runner has to perform far worse than that and the game has to get far more out of hand before a coach will stop running the football. At one point in the third quarter, the Colts moved the ball from San Diego's 32 yard line to the four yard line by running on five consecutive plays. But the sixth play was a short screen to Kenton Keith at the goal line. The ball was deflected and intercepted, and the drive was over. For some reason, despite never falling behind by more than four points the rest of the way, the Colts attempted just three more rushes the remainder of the game. Again, it wasn't so much what the Chargers did as it was what the Colts did not do.
| SD Pass Defense |
In several scenes reminiscent of the 2006 playoffs, the San Diego secondary appeared determined to do them in on a few occasions. S Clinton Hart fell down on a double move by TE Dallas Clark on the Colts' opening possession, resulting in an easy touchdown and a 7-0 deficit. Even when things did go their way, they still didn't. LB Shawne Merriman had a ball thrown right into his hands, but he juggled it several times before eventually dropping it. And CB Antonio Cromartie intercepted Manning late in the first half and returned the ball 89 yards the other way for a touchdown to seemingly give the Chargers the lead at the half. But it was ruled that S Eric Weddle had held Joseph Addai during the return, negating the score. Replays were inconclusive as to whether Weddle had actually held him on the play or not. Late in the fourth quarter, things again didn't go well for the Chargers. Hart was whistled for a long pass interference penalty on WR Reggie Wayne, CB Drayton Florence was called for a holding penalty on first and 25, and the negativity culminated with a 55 yard touchdown pass to WR Anthony Gonzalez up the left sideline. S Marlon McCree and CB Drayton Florence, two of the culprits of last year's playoff loss to the Patriots, were both involved in getting beaten on the play, and it was capped off by a foolish challenge from the coaching staff (stop me if you've heard this one before), who believed Gonzalez had stepped out of bounds. The Chargers also allowed Peyton Manning to go 11-11 for 123 yards and that touchdown through the first quarter of play, and couldn't get any of the pass rushers anywhere near him for the better part of three quarters. But rather than allowing the poor plays to doom them, the Chargers rose up late and played very well. LB Shawne Merriman finally got to Manning on a fourth down pass play from the seven yard line with the Colts down by four late in the fourth quarter, forcing an incompletion. And on the Colts' final possession, it was McCree's jarring hit on WR Reggie Wayne that knocked a pass loose on what would have been a huge conversion on third and five. Wayne not only couldn't hang on, but he had to leave the field after getting hurt, meaning the only reliable target with any experience on fourth down was TE Dallas Clark, who couldn't hang onto the fourth down pass that ended Indianapolis' season.
While it didn't directly impact the outcome of the game, rookie S Eric Weddle made a gorgeous interception off a tipped pass at the goal line in the third quarter. While engaged with a receiver, Weddle managed to get one arm free and cradle the ball to his chest as he was falling to the ground for the turnover.
| QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 33 - 48 - 402 - 3 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - -6 - 0 |
Manning was seemingly channeling Tom Brady's performance of one night prior by opening up 11-11 with 123 yards and a touchdown through the first quarter of play. It appeared as if he could do no wrong and the Chargers would be powerless to stop him whatsoever. He was completing passes to every pass-catcher on the team and there was no semblance of a pass rush to really speak of for the better part of three quarters. Even both of his interceptions weren't his fault, as they were the result of tipped passes that ended up in San Diego hands. In fact, the one ball Manning threw that SHOULD have been picked off, wasn't. LB Shawne Merriman dropped back into coverage and had a Manning pass hit him right in the hands. He batted it around several times before it fell incomplete. It appeared as if some of the magic the Colts had found in last year's postseason was going to carry over to this year, as they came back from 14-10 and 21-17 deficits in the second half (both times culminating with touchdown passes courtesy of Manning). But they had two opportunities with the ball over the final five minutes of the game and were unable to capitalize with any points. On the first possession, Manning drove them 70 yards to the doorstep of the San Diego end zone. But on second, third, and fourth down, Manning's passes to Joseph Addai were all knocked away or fell incomplete. On the fourth down play, Manning was being chased down by LB Shawne Merriman and under pressure for really the first time all game. The pass was thrown on the run and fell awkwardly incomplete. The Colts had one last chance to come back and had the ball down four at their own 32 yard line with 1:30 left to play. But they moved the ball just five yards on four plays, the drive culminating with an incomplete pass that was just out of the reach of an outstretched Dallas Clark along the sideline to essentially end the game.
| RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 13 - 43 - 0, Rec: 9 - 67 - 0 (15 targets) |
It appears that Addai had a huge role in the passing game and that he was Peyton Manning's favorite target. In reality, what happened was that the Colts sort of gave up on a traditional running game and instead opted to use the short passing game as their version of a rushing attack. Addai was the primary recipient of many of those looks, and despite leaving the game briefly with a head injury, he did pick up 110 total yards from scrimmage. Addai was also heavily involved in the late game drives to try and regain the lead, but he wasn't much of a factor down the field even on those plays.
| RB Kenton Keith, Rush: 4 - 7 - 0, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (3 targets) |
Keith's most significant contribution to the game was a dropped pass inside the five yard line that made its way into the arms of S Eric Weddle for an interception. While the turnover didn't directly lead to points for San Diego, it did give the Charger defense that much more belief in its ability to stifle the vaunted Colts offense even in the tightest of situations.
| WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 7 - 76 - 1 (14 targets) |
The return of Marvin Harrison clearly had very little effect on Wayne's production. The fact is, Harrison showed very early on that he was very rusty coming off such a long layoff, and so the Chargers made sure to commit coverage to Wayne. He was prevented from beating them deep, as evidenced by the fact that Indianapolis completed 19 passes to running backs and tight ends. With the outside guys blanketed, the Colts were only able to take what the Chargers gave them. CB Antonio Cromartie did a superb job on Wayne for most of the game, though Wayne did still manage to find the end zone. He caught a short pass in the flat and made a great individual effort to stretch and keep himself inbounds before reaching the ball over the pylon for the score. The play was initially ruled out of bounds at the one yard line, but the Colts challenged and the call was reversed to a touchdown. Wayne was involved in a critical play on the Colts' final possession of the game, and for all the wrong reasons. Facing a third down and five, Peyton Manning fired a strike over the middle to a diving Wayne. At first, he appeared to hold onto the football but a streaking Marlon McCree came flying in from his safety spot to jar the ball loose. Wayne remained on the ground for several moments and had to leave the field for the ensuing fourth down play, a pass to TE Dallas Clark that fell incomplete and ended the season for Indianapolis.
| WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 4 - 79 - 1 (4 targets) |
Gonzalez wasn't involved a ton, but he was involved in one of the biggest plays of the game. On a play that could have haunted Charger fans for years, Gonzalez got behind CB Drayton Florence on a deep route down the sideline. The Colts picked up the blitz beautifully and Peyton Manning lofted a bomb down the sideline. S Marlon McCree was late in getting over and his hit on Gonzalez only served to slightly knock him off course. Somehow, Gonzalez maintained possession while staying inbounds by a matter of inches, and took off the rest of the way to the end zone for a 55 yard touchdown. San Diego HC Norv Turner challenged the call, mistakenly believing Gonzalez had stepped on the sideline, but replays confirmed that he stayed in the entire time by a few blades of grass.
| WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 2 - 27 - 0 (3 targets) |
Harrison was clearly rusty after a two and a half month layoff. His first reception of the game was a key catch for 17 yards on third and ten late in the first quarter. But the play quickly turned sour when Harrison fumbled after being hit in the legs and San Diego recovered. The Colts were on the verge of driving to go up 14-0, but instead saw the Chargers march downfield the other way for the game-tying touchdown. Late in the game when Indianapolis was driving for the lead and then for the win, Harrison wasn't even on the field.
| TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 6 - 95 - 1 (8 targets) |
Clark scored on a gorgeous double move on the Colts' first possession of the game. The move caused S Clinton Hart to stumble over his own feet, and he was clearly no match for Clark's athleticism on the play. Clark would go on to grab five more passes totaling 70 yards in the game, several of them clutch grabs coming in key situations. But it was the one that got away that was the signature play in the game for Clark. Facing a fourth and five from their own 37 yard line and the season on the line, Manning lofted a ball towards the sideline in Clark's direction. The ball was tipped off his outstretched fingertips and fell incomplete, giving the Chargers the victory and ending the defending Super Bowl champs season.
| PK Adam Vinatieri 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points |
As amazing as it sounds, Vinatieri connected on his first field goal of the season from over 40 yards. The kick came late in the first half and gave the Colts a 10-7 halftime advantage.
| IND Rush Defense |
When LaDainian Tomlinson injured his knee late in the second quarter, it appeared that the Colts would soon be in prime position to put this game away early. But they seemingly forgot that there is a reason why some teams were clamoring for the services of San Diego backup RB Michael Turner this past offseason. Turner rumbled for 71 yards on 17 carries, many of those runs requiring three and four players to take him down. The punishing running of Turner may have served as something of a buffer for the fourth quarter, as the Indianapolis front seven simply seemed to be worn down by the Chargers offense. The pass rush was almost nonexistent, and the Chargers moved the ball freely against one of the league's best defensive units. The Colts did come up with a big stop late in the fourth quarter when they held Turner to seven yards on three carries, forcing the Chargers to punt and giving the ball back to the Indianapolis offense.
| IND Pass Defense |
Clearly, one look at the stats will tell you just about all you need to know about how the Colts performed. Zero sacks. One interception. Three touchdowns allowed and a 74% completion percentage. They did intercept Rivers on San Diego's opening possession, but it was all downhill from there -- and fast. They allowed a Vincent Jackson on San Diego's second possession, a Chris Chambers 30 yard bomb for a score to open the second half, and allowed a seemingly innocent screen to Darren Sproles to go for a 56 yard touchdown scamper up the left sideline. What's more, when starting QB Philip Rivers left the game following that touchdown to Sproles, the Chargers were led the rest of the way by QB Billy Volek and RB Michael Turner. But those guys somehow found a way to engineer the eventual game-winning drive against this defense, with a healthy contribution by unheralded Legedu Naanee who chipped in with a 27 yard reception of his own. If Philip Rivers and LaDainian Tomlinson beat you, you tip your cap. When Billy Volek and Legedu Naanee are able to hook up for a key play on a game-winning drive of a playoff game, one must question the defense's abilities.
S Bob Sanders was whistled for a taunting penalty after jumping all over PK Nate Kaeding following a missed field goal. Sanders and Kaeding were college teammates and it wasn't likely a mean-spirited maneuver, but the move was still probably not welcomed with open arms by Kaeding. Perhaps he received a small measure of karmic justice when Sanders briefly left the game with a shoulder injury one quarter later (he would eventually return on the next possession).
