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Head coach Brandon Staley and the Los Angeles Chargers received a late Christmas present on Monday night. In front of a primetime audience, the Chargers clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2018.
The Chargers defense contained the Indianapolis Colts in a 20-3 Week 16 victory. Los Angeles kept Indianapolis scoreless after halftime and forced three total takeaways.
Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense had a relatively quiet night, but the offense wasn’t needed much in the playoff-clinching win.
Here are the winners and losers from Monday night’s AFC battle:
PLAYOFF PICTURE: Two AFC spots unclaimed after Chargers clinch berth
NFL NEWSLETTER: Sign up now to get football news delivered to your inboxWinnersChargers defense
Playing without star safety Derwin James for most of the game (see below), the Chargers defense shut down a listless Colts offense.
The Chargers had Colts quarterback Nick Foles under duress all night. Los Angeles front seven got the better of the Colts offensive line and the Chargers’ secondary made life difficult for the Indy pass catchers.
Los Angeles’ defense had a season-high seven sacks and forced three interceptions. The Chargers defense held the Colts offense to just 173 total yards.
Six different players registered sacks. The Chargers defense allowed zero touchdowns for the first time in a single game since 2018.
