Los Angeles Chargers vs Indianapolis Colts Odds, Lines, Picks and Predictions for Monday Night Football Week 16

• The LA Chargers (8-6)and Indianapolis Colts (4-9-1) wrap up Christmas weekend on Monday Night Football
• 2022 Record: 11-8, +1.92 ; Monday Night Football record: 8-5, +2.19 units
• See the Chargers vs Colts odds with LA in the thick of the AFC Wild Card race

As the season winds down, prime time games start to mean everything for some teams and nothing for others.

That’s the case on Boxing Day, as the LA Chargers visit the Indianapolis Colts. The Baltimore Ravens’ win on Saturday means that LA needs a win to keep pace for the top Wild Card spot.

For the Colts, they could just use something positive. The last time we saw them, of course, was their historic collapse in Minnesota. Jeff Saturday is still looking for his second win as Indy’s head coach.

He gets another crack at win number two on Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Chargers vs Colts Odds

Odds as of December 25th from Caesars Sportsbook. Be sure to check out the Caesars Sportsbook promo code ahead of kickoff on Monday.

LA enters Monday Night favored by four points, and a heavy favorite on the outright odds. With the total set at 45.5, bettors might be interested in targeting LA’s team total. Set at 23 on Caesars, Indy’s last three opponents have covered that number.

The Chargers have pieced together a nice little run, winning three of their last four. Justin Herbert’s crew have been scraping out wins however, managing a +8 scoring differential in those wins.

NFL Public Betting Trends are favoring the Chargers across the board and leaning towards the under.

Chargers vs Colts Injury Report

For the Chargers, it’s a relatively clean injury report.

Their lone non-IR absence will be cornerback Kemon Hall. He’s down with a hamstring injury and was a DNP all week. Everyone else who popped up throughout the week was cleared.

Week 16 Injury Report

The biggest knock to the Colts this week came when Jonathan Taylor hit Injured Reserve with a high ankle sprain. Taylor went down early in the Vikings game, and leaves the backfield to Deon Jackson and Zack Moss.

There will be a change at quarterback as well, but that has nothing to do with injury. Matt Ryan has been demoted to third string QB and likely won’t see the field again this year. Nick Foles will get the start on Monday night, and Sam Ehlinger will back him up.

Herbert, Chargers’ Offense Make Playoff Push

While the Chargers have won three of their last four, prior to that stretch they had lost three of four. Some had begun to raise questions about their offense.

But as they’ve gotten healthier, they’ve started to find some consistency. And Justin Herbert has turned it on as well.

Justin Herbert: Last Eight Games

Herbert has cut down on the interceptions and bumped his yardage up a bit. The completion percentage has been on the rise throughout the season as well. Week 16 against the Colts and Week 17 against the Rams give Herbert a chance to fatten up his numbers even more before a season-ending clash with the Broncos.

Everything the Chargers need keeps happening.

After the Patriots loss, the Chargers just need a Raiders loss and a win over the Colts to clinch a playoff berth in Week 16.

Per the NY Times, the Patriots' loss increased the Chargers' playoff odds to 87%.

— Bolt Beat (@BB_Chargers) December 24, 2022

Poor Timing for Jonathan Taylor Injury

If the Colts were hoping for a feel-good moment late in the season, then they could have used Jonathan Taylor this week.

Taylor, one of the most dynamic rushers in the league, was having a down year. But prior to the Vikes game he had finished with 80+ yards on the ground in four-straight. The Chargers had allowed the seventh-most rushing yards entering Week 16. Teams are averaging a league-best 5.4 per carry against them.

Jonathan Taylor is “highly unlikely” to play again this year with a high-ankle sprain, via @RapSheet

pic.twitter.com/136Z43JLWb

— Barstool Indy (@barstoolindy) December 19, 2022

Now you’re going from Taylor, to Moss and Jackson. They’ll have their chances, but Foles will definitely be missing Taylor’s game-breaking ability.

Chargers vs Colts Pick

The Colts were banking on Jeff Saturday being a motivator when they hired him.

Well this will be his biggest challenge yet.

Late in the season, it’s all about motivation. The Colts are playing for next year while the Chargers are playing for the playoffs.

If they want to be taken seriously, this is a game that LA needs to win convincingly.

The Pick: Chargers -4.0 (-110), 1 Unit