Jesse Minter exposed tops Chargers lessons from brutal blowout by Colts

For the Los Angeles Chargers, it doesn’t get much uglier than the 38-24 beatdown at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts. 

At home, the Chargers had a shot at the top seed in the AFC, only to waste it away with another poor defensive showing while Justin Herbert struggled behind a backup-filled offensive line, throwing three touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Now 4-3 and with a quick turnaround to a Thursday night game, here’s a quick look at some of the unfortunate lessons from the game. 

Jesse Minter exposed

One of the top rising head coaching candidates in the NFL has fallen apart over the last month. A year ago, Minter authored a shocker of a top-10 defense with cobbled-together parts from free agency and rookies. Now, it seems like opposing forces have figured out how to get at him. Other things go into it. The loss of Poona Ford in free agency was bigger than some might’ve suggested. Maybe Joey Bosa, too. But Khalil Mack just returned, the front office traded for Odafe Oweh and Minter’s defense put up some inexcusable numbers during the blowout:

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No panic on Justin Herbert

Sure, Herbert had a sloppy day with some really bad turnovers. But it vibes more like a guy trying to do too much to keep his team alive than anything else. He didn’t have Joe Alt at left tackle. Alt’s backup got hurt in this game. He didn’t have backup Trey Pipkins at right tackle. Instead, a guy signed off the street started there. Herbert’s line should keep getting healthier as the season continues and Alt gets back, so he should get back to being more like the guy who swept the AFC West to start the season. 

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Chargers fine in standings…but not in momentum 

So the Chargers lost the chance to steal the top seed in the AFC. It’s still a bad conference, though, so they don't feel anywhere close to out of it. Far more concerning is the momentum factor. Injuries or not, they just limped past a horrific Dolphins team last week. Now, they went and got smacked around by a Colts team despite home-field advantage. Suddenly, even a matchup against 3-3 Minnesota doesn’t look all that hot and it’s worth wondering if the Chargers can turn things back the right direction even if they get healthier at key spots.