When the Indianapolis Colts traveled to face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season, fans expected a close, hard-fought game. What they got instead was one of the best offensive shows of the season from the Colts. Indianapolis won the game 38-24 at SoFi Stadium, and the final score doesn’t even tell the full story. Behind that score were huge individual performances, two costly turnovers, and a defensive effort that changed the whole game.
Game Overview
The Colts entered this game with one of the top offenses in the league, and they proved it once again. Indianapolis controlled the game from start to finish, building a big lead in the first half and holding on through a Chargers comeback attempt in the second half.
Los Angeles actually out-gained Indianapolis in total yards, 435 to 376, and Justin Herbert had one of the best passing days of his career. But two turnovers in Colts territory turned promising Chargers drives into Indianapolis points, and that swing made the difference in a game that looked closer on paper than it did on the scoreboard.
Quarterback Stats: Daniel Jones vs Justin Herbert
Daniel Jones (Indianapolis Colts)
Daniel Jones had a smart, efficient game for the Colts. He completed 23 of his 34 passes for 288 yards and threw 2 touchdown passes. He also connected with Michael Pittman Jr. on a two-point conversion after one of Jonathan Taylor’s touchdowns.
Jones posted a passer rating north of 100 in this game, which shows how efficient he was even though his total yards were lower than Herbert’s. Jones has been a big surprise for the Colts in 2025 after signing with the team in the offseason, and this game was another example of his steady, mistake-free style of play. He did not throw an interception in this game, and he made good decisions when the Colts needed points the most.
Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
Justin Herbert put up huge numbers in this game. He completed 37 of 55 passes for 420 yards and 3 touchdowns. That completion total was actually a season high for him at that point in the year. He also passed a career milestone in this game, reaching 150 career passing touchdowns.
But the box score does not show the two turnovers that hurt his team the most. Late in the second quarter, with the Chargers driving inside the Colts’ 10-yard line and a real chance to close the gap before halftime, Herbert threw a pass into the end zone that was picked off. Indianapolis then drove down the field and kicked a field goal right before halftime, turning a possible Chargers score into more points for the Colts.
After the game, Herbert admitted the turnovers were the real story, saying he could not keep giving the ball away like that and that the team could not expect to win when he turned the ball over in the red zone. It was an honest and fair assessment of how the game slipped away from Los Angeles despite his strong yardage total.
Running Back Stats: Jonathan Taylor’s Big Day
If there was one player who defined this game, it was Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. Taylor rushed for 132 total yards and scored 3 rushing touchdowns, continuing what has been a record-breaking season for the Colts’ offense.
One of his touchdowns came right after teammate Ameer Abdullah returned a kickoff 81 yards to the Chargers’ 14-yard line, setting up an easy score for Taylor two plays later. That kickoff return by Abdullah was the longest by a Colts player since 2022.
Taylor’s third touchdown of the day came on a 19-yard run, which showed off both his speed and his ability to break tackles in the open field. This performance gave Taylor three games with at least three rushing touchdowns in a single season, making him the first player to do that since Derrick Henry in 2021, and the first player in Colts history to ever accomplish it.
On the other side, the Chargers’ running game struggled badly. Los Angeles managed only 10 rushing yards on six carries in the entire first half. For the full game, Herbert actually gained more rushing yards than his running backs did, picking up 31 yards on the ground compared to just 23 yards combined from the Chargers’ running back group on 10 attempts. This lack of a rushing threat put more pressure on Herbert to make plays through the air, which likely contributed to the turnovers late in the half.
Wide Receiver and Tight End Stats
Oronde Gadsden II (Los Angeles Chargers)
The standout receiver of this game was actually a Chargers rookie. Tight end Oronde Gadsden II was Herbert’s favorite target all day, catching 7 of 9 targets for 164 yards and a touchdown. One of his catches went for 53 yards in the third quarter, which was the longest gain of the entire game. For a rookie, this was an outstanding showing and a sign of what he could become for the Chargers offense going forward.
Michael Pittman Jr. (Indianapolis Colts)
Michael Pittman Jr. was a steady target for Daniel Jones throughout the game. He helped move the chains on important drives, including the possession that set up Jonathan Taylor’s third touchdown, where Jones connected with both Pittman and running back Alec Pierce to march the offense into scoring range.
Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston (Los Angeles Chargers)
Herbert also found Keenan Allen for a 4-yard touchdown to cut into the Colts’ lead, and later hit rookie Quentin Johnston for a third-quarter touchdown that brought the score to 23-10. These scores kept the Chargers within reach for most of the game, even though they were never able to fully close the gap.
Defensive Stats: The Colts’ Pass Rush Takes Over
While the offensive numbers get most of the attention, this game was won just as much by the Indianapolis defense. The Colts’ pass rush was relentless all afternoon, and it was the biggest reason Herbert struggled to protect the football.
DeForest Buckner
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner had one of the best games of his career against the Chargers. He recorded 2 sacks, 4 quarterback hits, 5 hurries, and 9 total pressures across 60 snaps. That performance earned him the highest player grade of anyone in the game, according to Pro Football Focus, at 90.8. Buckner was a constant problem for the Chargers’ offensive line, and his pressure directly led to mistakes from Herbert.
Laiatu Latu
Rookie edge rusher Laiatu Latu also had a strong game, adding a sack, 4 quarterback hits, and 2 hurries of his own. Together with Buckner, he helped the Colts build a pass rush that the Chargers’ line simply could not handle for most of the afternoon.
Team Pressure Numbers
As a team, the Colts generated 33 total pressures on Herbert across his 58 dropbacks, which works out to a pressure rate above 56 percent. That kind of constant pressure explains why Herbert, despite his big yardage total, was never fully comfortable in the pocket and ended up making the mistakes that cost his team the game.
The Turnovers
The Colts defense also came up with two huge interceptions. Safety Nick Cross picked off Herbert in the end zone late in the second quarter, stopping a Chargers scoring chance right before halftime. Earlier in that same quarter, defensive tackle Grover Stewart batted down a Herbert pass at the line of scrimmage, and the ball popped into the air where Stewart caught it himself for the first interception of his NFL career. For a 314-pound nose tackle to make that kind of athletic play was a special moment, and it showed just how well the Colts’ front line was playing that day.
Team Stats Comparison
Here is a quick look at how the two teams compared in total team stats for this game:
| Stat | Indianapolis Colts | Los Angeles Chargers |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 38 | 24 |
| Total Yards | 376 | 435 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Rushing Yards | 120 | 54 |
The turnover gap tells the real story of this game. Even though the Chargers gained more total yards, the two turnovers in Colts territory turned what could have been Chargers points into missed chances, and in some cases, direct points for Indianapolis instead.
Why This Game Mattered
This win kept the Colts’ hot start to the 2025 season going strong. Indianapolis has built one of the most efficient offenses in the league this year, mixing Jonathan Taylor’s punishing running style with Daniel Jones’ careful, low-mistake passing game. This game was a perfect example of that formula working exactly as planned.
For the Chargers, this game was a tough lesson. Justin Herbert showed he can put up big passing numbers against almost any defense, but the turnovers proved costly against a Colts pass rush that never let up. Games like this often come down to which team protects the football better, and on this day, that team was Indianapolis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Colts vs Chargers game?
The Indianapolis Colts won the game 38-24 over the Los Angeles Chargers. The game was played on October 19, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, during Week 7 of the NFL season.
Who had the best individual stats in the Colts vs Chargers game?
Jonathan Taylor had the best overall game with 132 total yards and 3 rushing touchdowns for the Colts. On the Chargers’ side, Justin Herbert threw for 420 yards and 3 touchdowns, while tight end Oronde Gadsden II caught 7 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. On defense, DeForest Buckner stood out with 2 sacks and the highest player grade of the game.
Why did the Chargers lose despite gaining more total yards?
The Chargers gained more total yards than the Colts, 435 to 376, but two turnovers deep in their own territory ended up costing them the game. Both turnovers happened in the second quarter and led directly to Colts points, which put Indianapolis in control of the game before halftime and forced Los Angeles to try to come back in the second half.
