The Chargers are back home in Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Kickoff is at 1:05 p.m. (PT) from SoFi Stadium.

The Chargers-Colts betting line shows the Bolts are the slight favorites on Sunday.

Here are five final thoughts ahead of Week 7.

1. Make a statement

The Chargers are 4-2 and in first place in the AFC West as Week 7 approaches.

But Jim Harbaugh's team has a chance to make a statement to the rest of the conference on Sunday at home.

The Colts arrive with a 5-1 record, the best in the AFC, and have already compiled three wins this season by 21 or more points.

The Bolts have certainly noticed how, well, dominant, Indianapolis has been.

"Great team overall," Derwin James, Jr. said.

Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman said: "A lot of people are talking about how they're the best team in the league right now. And their record indicates it."

What could a win mean for the Chargers?

To start, it would mean Harbaugh's squad themselves would jump to the top of the AFC standings.

And, according to The Athletic's playoff projection model, a win would boost the Chargers playoff chances from 80 to 88 percent. A loss, meanwhile, would drop those odd to 72 percent.

The Bolts know who is on the docket for Sunday afternoon.

"Really good football team across the board. Offense, very aggressive defense, really good in all phases," Harbaugh said. "They've done a great job with the team and they're playing really good football."

But they also know the opportunity that awaits at home in Week 7.

"They do have the best record in the league and are a top football team," Ladd McConkey said. "It would be a great win for us. We just want to prepare and put our best foot forward."

Benjamin St-Juste added: "It's a game where we could show the true potential of the Chargers."

2. All eyes on run defense

The Chargers didn't mince words this week when asked about their run defense, an area that has drooped of late.

The Bolts have allowed back-to-back, 100-yard rushers and have allowed at least 118 rushing yards in the past four games.

"[Get back to] being us, winning first down and setting the tone," James said. "Everybody to the ball, don't leave one man to make the tackle."

Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter added: "Certainly things we want to be better at. In the run game overall, I'd say it's the 15-plus yard runs … when you give up the long ones and they become 15-plus, those things add up."

The Bolts will surely be locked in on getting the run defense fixed, especially with Jonathan Taylor and the Colts ground game coming to town.

Taylor — the NFL leader in attempts (115), rushing yards (603) and rushing touchdowns (seven) — drew heavy praise from the Bolts this week.

"MVP-caliber running back we're going against," James said. "One of the top backs, I got a lot of respect for him. I can't wait to go compete against him."

Benjamin St-Juste added: "It's inevitable that he's likely going to break a tackle, so let's make sure the next guy is right there. Running to the ball is definitely going to be a big thing."

The Colts lead the NFL in rushing EPA per play (0.100), a stat that is highlighted by their impressive offensive line, a group led by seven-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson.

Indianapolis also leads the league with 13 total rushing scores and its 50 rushes for a first down are tied for second.

Rookie tight end Tyler Warren had also provided pop as a blocker and the wide receiver group is known for their physicality, too.

This is going to be the biggest test to date, and perhaps the whole season, for the Chargers run defense.

And it comes at a time when the group is searching for answers to be more consistent.

This facet of the game could very well determine who wins in Week 7.

"Probably the best in the league right now in how they're playing and how they're running the football," Minter said of the Colts.

3. A look at the red-zone offense

The Chargers offense had no problem getting into the red zone in Week 6.

But only scoring two touchdowns on seven trips inside the 20-yard line was certainly a reason why the win over the Dolphins was so close.

The up-and-down performance in that area highlighted a season-long trend that has the Chargers at the bottom of the league in red-zone scoring percentage (35.0 percent) entering Week 7.

"It's just one play here or one play there," McConkey said. "Or we'll put ourselves behind the sticks. Like, second-and-15 is a lot harder than second-and-6 and then maybe it's third-and-long.

"It's just execution. Lock in and limit the penalties and negative plays," McConkey added.

Roman said this week that injuries and players coming in and out of the lineup probably play a factor, too.

"We're close, we're really close. It's a detail here and a detail there," Roman said. "Last couple of games I've called semi-different way than I would normally call due to circumstance.

"I understand all that, but we have to keep plugging away at it. We're really close," Roman said. "We got some really good options down there in the redzone."

Overall, while the Bolts are last in red-zone scoring, they are 10^th in the league in percentage of drives that end in points (43.3).

The Chargers scored on seven of their 10 drives in Miami, a 70-percent clip that any team would gladly take.

The focus now is to have more of those trips end with six points rather than three.

"We move the ball really well," McConkey said. "From the 20[-yard line] to the 20, we're good. But when we get in the red zone, we've got to score touchdowns.

"Field goals are good and you want to walk away with points," McConkey added. "But to win games at a consistent level, we've got to score touchdowns."

The Colts defense ranks 15^th in red-zone scoring allowed at 57.89 percent.

4. An improved Daniel Jones

St-Juste got an up-close look at quarterback Daniel Jones when both players recently resided in the NFC East.

Which means there is plenty of truth to what the Chargers cornerback sees now with the 2019 first-round pick who signed with the Colts this offseason.

"This is a totally different Daniel Jones we're going to play against," St-Juste said. "This is not the Daniel Jones from the Giants. It's a new player."

Jones has been efficient with the Colts, completing 71.7 percent of his passes, a stat that ranks third in the league.

He's also led the Colts to points (either touchdowns or field goals) on 62.5- percent of their drives, the top mark in the NFL. Jones has thrown for 1,502 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions.

"The quarterback is playing at a super high level. Just fast and decisive and confident," Minter said.

St-Juste expanded on that thought, saying that Indianapolis has designed simple and quick plays for Jones to execute.

From there, he's getting the ball to his playmakers. And taking advantage of the aforementioned excellent ground game, as the Colts lead the league in play-action percentage at 33.8.

"It looks like he's just really comfortable," St-Juste said. "They are giving him the right looks and he's just executing it and isn't trying to force anything.

"He still utilizes his legs really well but he also has weapons all around," St-Juste added. "We just have to try and pinpoint what he's comfortable with and take that away and make him look for his third or fourth option."

Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback, gave his thoughts on Jones.

"He's doing all the great things that great quarterbacks do," Harbaugh said. "Going to be a big challenge to get them slowed down.

"I don't know if you can really stop them, but slow them down, get some stops when we can," Harbaugh added. "That's the challenge."

5. Hines helps out

Perhaps the Chargers still win Sunday in Miami if they don't start at their own 41-yard line.

But there's no doubt that Nyheim Hines’ 40-yard kickoff return helped jumpstart the game-winning drive.

Hines this week said it was a team effort to produce the Bolts longest kickoff return of the season to date.

"It felt really good. Honestly, I get a lot of credit but these are one of the plays where I didn't really have to do much," Hines said. "Coach Fick "[Special Teams Cooridnator Ryan Ficken] had a good plan in, I was where I was supposed to be and I don't think I got touched until I got tackled.

"Only thing I could say about me in that play is, 'Thank the Lord I'm fast to get through that.' But Marlowe Wax had a good block," Hines added. "And KLS [KeAndre Lambert-Smith], that's a rookie coming in and stepping up. It's good see us block and hustle for each other."

Hines' clutch play came in his first regular-season game since Week 18 of the 2022 season.

Hines suffered a knee injury in a jet ski accident that caused him to miss all of the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

"Just really thankful, a lot of trials and tribulations to get back to where I was. It was 1,008 days since my last regular-season game," Hines said. "Everyone thinks I'm back, but in my head I'm not, this is where I was supposed to be.

"It took a year longer than I thought, but I knew I would be back. In my head, I'm not back until I go out there, makes some plays and help this team win by getting in the end zone," Hines added.

With Derius Davis returning to practice this week, there's a chance the Chargers usual returner could be back in the mix soon.

But even when Davis comes back, the Bolts know they have a reliable option in Hines, who could have a full-circle moment Sunday against the Colts.

Hines was a 2018 fourth-round pick of Indianapolis.

"Outside of playing in the Super Bowl, this is full circle for me. Played a lot of games, played a lot of playoff games, been cut now," Hines said. "Even now, practice squad. I think for me I'm just thankful, [the Chargers] gave me a call, they were the first team to call me and sign me.

"I hope to be here as long as I can. I really do like Coach Harbaugh, respect for him as a coach. I'm a football fan, so watched him my whole life so it's really cool," Hines added. "I'm appreciative of the opportunity with the Chargers and I look forward to showing how thankful and appreciative of them I am on the field."