Colts vs. Chargers: San Diego defense dominates Indy on Monday Night Football

In victory, or in comical defeat, we can count on one thing: hilarious Philip Rivers reactions.

“YES! BABY! WOO!” Some people might be able to pull off “YEAHHHH BABYYY WOOOOOOO!” but only Philip Rivers and his passion for excitedness could pull off “YES! BABY! WOO!”

Making the 1,000-reception club is a serious accolade, not to be mistaken with the 1,000-yard club -- which has over 500 members. We’re looking at you, ESPN.

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Both teams entered the game with high-powered offenses, but the defenses stole the show on Monday. Indianapolis was fourth in the NFL, scoring 27.8 points per game. The Colts had scored at least 34 points in their last two games before being held to three field goals by the Chargers’ defense.

The Chargers continued to put long drives together, although San Diego was unable to get into the endzone. The Chargers went up 13-6 after an 11-play drive. San Diego drove 15 plays early in the fourth quarter, adding their third field goal of the game to take a 10-point lead. The Colts responded with a field goal of their own, cutting San Diego’s lead to 16-9.

The Colts were trailing, 16-9, in an ugly Monday Night Football game and needed a big drive. It didn’t get off to a good start after an Andrew Luck incompletion to Trent Richardson ... but Hugh Thornton wanted to make sure it got off to a much, much, much worse start:

Instead of second-and-10, they went half the distance back to the goal, and it was second-and-14.

How thrilling is this Chargers-Colts game, wherein six field goals have been kicked?

This thrilling:

Freeman initially went to the sideline with the cut and it was thought he would miss a series or two while trainers patched him up. The hit was harder than initially thought as he became the next in a long line of Colts’ defensive injuries.

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After a Colts punt, the Chargers extended the lead with another long drive. San Diego controlled the clock with a 17-play drive. Rivers nearly hit Allen for a second touchdown, but the wide receiver was unable to come up with the catch and the Chargers tacked on a field goal to make it a 10-3 game.

Rivers came into the game off back-to-back games with at least 400 passing yards. While the Chargers have the lead, Rivers will need a huge second half if he’s going to become the first player in NFL history to throw for 400 or more yards in three straight games. He finished the first half with 106 yards.

Royal ran a 4-yard reverse in the second quarter before leaving the field with the injury. His return to the game is “questionable,” according to NFL.com. There is no further update on his status at this time.

The injury leaves the Chargers without a key receiver and the team’s top punt returner. Royal has caught 18 passes for 216 yards this season, but did not register a catch early in Monday’s game. He was one of the early season league league leaders in touchdown receptions, hauling in five passes for TDs.

Michael Irvin and Warren Sapp recently debated whether Reggie Wayne was the best NFL receiver to come out of their alma mater. Most would instantly rank Irvin ahead of Wayne, but the Colts lifer persists with an overhauled roster in Indy. On Monday night, he kept another streak alive and he could start pushing Irvin if he continues his production with Andrew Luck’s continued ascendance:

That’s not bad company.

Of course, this outward display of emotion is nothing compared to Matt Bosher, the Falcons’ trash-talking tackling machine, who wreaked havoc last Monday night.

Here is a complete look at the inactives for both teams.

S LaRon Landry, RB Dan Herron, OL Khaled Holmes, LB Kavell Conner, LB Bjoern Werner, DT Montori Hughes, and OT Xavier Nixon.

The Indianapolis Colts are 3-0 SU and ATS over their last three games but they face a team that has dominated them over the years when they visit the San Diego Chargers on Monday night.

The Colts are a 1-point road favorite, according to most sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com, but they own a money-losing 1-6 ATS streak against the Chargers.

That doesn’t seem to be the case this year.

After offensive coordinator Bruce Arians left for Arizona in the offseason, the team hired Hamilton, Luck’s former offensive coordinator at Stanford. He’s helped Luck throw touchdowns at a higher rate, interceptions at a lower rate, and considerably upped his completion percentage as a more-balanced offense has the Colts passing it less than they did last year but scoring more.

ESPN and the sponsors have agreed to purchase 8,500 tickets to Sunday’s game, guaranteeing a sellout, with ESPN stating a portion of the tickets would go to military and charitable organizations. This is the second time that such an arrangement has been needed the past two seasons with nationally televised games. In total, the Chargers had four blackouts in 2012.

Qualcomm Stadium has a capacity of 71,500, with the Chargers averaging 89.9 percent capacity in two home games this season. Last season, with the Chargers going 7-9 and missing the playoffs, the Chargers average attendence was just 59,964, at 84.1 percent capacity.

If Mathews is unable to play on Monday night, Brown will handle the load for the Chargers. The nine-year veteran struggled in relief of Mathews in Week 5 but has had a mildly successful season so far. He has 21 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown this season and has also added 48 yards on six catches.

The Chargers will host the Colts on Monday Night Football in Week 6 at 8:40 p.m. ET on ESPN.