The San Diego Chargers dominated the time of possession battle against the Indianapolis Colts and Nick Novak converted a 50-yard field goal with 2:00 left to play to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory on Monday night.
The Chargers held the ball for over 38 minutes in keeping Andrew Luck and the Colts’ offense off the field. Philip Rivers threw for 237 yards and a touchdown, including a nine-catch, 107-yard performance from rookie receiver Keenan Allen.
Trailing 16-9, Indianapolis had a chance to drive for the tying score but went three-and-out with 4:27 left to play. The Colts elected to punt on 4th and 2 from their own 17-yard line with 3:29 left to play in the game. A poor punt from Pat McAfee gave San Diego the ball at their own 48-yard line. Rivers and the Chargers converted two first downs to move into field goal range as Antonio Gates was tackled inches short of a first down.
Novak converted the 50-yarder to extend the Chargers’ lead to two scores and Luck was intercepted by Derek Cox on their final possession to seal the win.
Ryan Mathews also had a solid night for the Chargers carrying for 102 yards on 22 carries.
Allen’s 22-yard touchdown grab from Rivers in the first quarter was the only non-field goal on the night. Novak converted four field goals for San Diego while Adam Vinatieri booted three field goals for the Colts. It was the first time in Vinatieri’s lengthy career he converted two field goals of at least 50 yards in a single game.
Reggie Wayne caught the 1,000th pass of his storied career in the fourth quarter. He’s just the ninth player in league history to reach that milestone. He finished the game with 88 yards on five catches for the Colts.