Los Angeles Chargers winners, losers from Week 7 loss to Colts

The Los Angeles Chargers are seeing a promising season start to come under some serious doubt after losing for the third time in the last four games. The Chargers tried to hang tough against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but they were never really in it in a 38-24 loss. 

The loss drops the Chargers to 4-3 on the season following a 3-0 start. Despite Justin Herbert throwing for 420 yards, it wasn't enough as the defense allowed Jonathan Taylor to run for three touchdowns and Daniel Jones to throw for 288 yards and two more scores. 

It wasn't all bad for the Chargers as two players stood out in the passing game, but there is a lot of work to do in order to get back into top contention in the AFC. 

Los Angeles Chargers Week 7 winners and losers

Winner: Oronde Gadsden II, TE

The game put together by rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden, even in a losing effort, was nothing short of outstanding. 

Gadsden, a fifth-round pick in the draft who was a healthy scratch to begin the season, caught seven passes for 164 yards and a touchdown in this game. He is exactly what the team has been needing at the position, and has the ability to be even better. 

— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) October 20, 2025

He set a Chargers record for most receiving yards in a game by a rookie tight end and his 164 yards now rank as the fourth-most ever by a rookie tight end in a single game. The three players ahead of him on that list (Mark Bavaro, Mike Ditka, Jackie Smith) all had more than the seven receptions that Gadsden was able to rack up that yardage with. 

Winner: Keenan Allen, WR

It's incredible that the Chargers not only got rid of Keenan Allen at one point, but that it took so long for them to bring him back this offseason. 

He has been the team's best wide receiver through seven games and he had another big performance in this game, catching 11 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. 

Loser: Daiyan Henley, LB

The Chargers' defense as a hole was bad in this game, but where had Daiyan Henley gone? After racking up 147 tackles in 2024, it looked like he may be the league's next breakout player at the middle linebacker position. But this year, he's been quiet. 

On Sunday, he had only two tackles. You hardly even knew he was on the field. 

Loser: Chargers running game

Kimani Vidal had a good game for the team last week, but that came against the porous run defense of the Dolphins. In this game, Vidal and Hassan Haskins combined to rush for 23 yards on 10 carries and the longest run play of the day went for five yards. 

READ: Failed Chargers head coach gets another chance to lead NFL team

The Chargers would love to get Omarion Hampton back on the field, but the team needs to do something before then. With two weeks remaining until the trade deadline, a big move needs to be considered. 

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