The Chargers are 4-3 after 38-24 home loss to the Colts.
Here are five takeaways from Week 7.
1. Turn the page
It's a good thing the Chargers are on a short week.
Because the Bolts are going to want to move on from Sunday's showing rather quickly.
"It wasn't our best in any phase," said Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh.
"Not the way we wanted it to go," Justin Herbert added.
Daiyan Henley said: "Just wasn't good enough."
The Chargers suffered their third loss in four games and also dropped out of first place in the AFC West for the first time all season.
Everyone was at fault in this one, as the defense allowed 38 points and 401 yards of offense at home, including nine plays of at least 15 yards.
"We gave up [nearly] 40 points in our own stadium," Derwin James, Jr. said.
Offensively, the unit didn't find the end zone until the third quarter and managed just 54 rushing yards.
And special teams played a part, too, as an 81-yard kickoff return by Indianapolis swung momentum back in their favor after the Chargers had cut the deficit to 13 points early in the third quarter.
"Ain't no way around it," Khalil Mack said. "Played like [crap]."
The Bolts will now hope to turn the page on short week as they host the Vikings in Week 8 on Thursday Night Football.
Harbaugh said he's anticipating a better showing in primetime.
"It wasn't our best day," Harbaugh said. "But do I have confidence in my team? Yes. Do I believe they're fighting? Yeah."
He later added: "From our whole team — courage, fight, our guys never quit. That's the big thing I takeaway. We're going to need all that fight, all that courage on a short week."
Minnesota is 3-3 after Sunday's home loss to Philadelphia.
"Watch it, learn from it and we're onto the next week," Herbert said.
Mack added: "It's always great when you can get back on the field after a game like this because you want to forget it as fast as you can."
2. Gadsden shines in career day
Count Oronde Gadsden as a bright spot in the Week 7 loss.
The Chargers rookie finished with seven catches for 164 yards and a score. His yardage is the fourth-most by a Chargers tight end in a game in franchise history.
"He did an incredible job and found ways to get open. When we needed him most, he stepped up big time," Herbert said. "He's done a great job all year and he's going to continue to make big plays for us."
Gadsden posted the first 100-yard game of his career and added his first NFL touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard catch.
"I was just doing the best I could and doing as hard as I try to practice every day. Just try to emulate that back into the game," Gadsden said. "I wasn't really looking how many yards, how many stats, how many touchdowns, any of that, throughout the game. I was just trying to win."
Gadsden became the first Chargers tight end in franchise history with 100 receiving yards since 2019 when Hunter Henry hit the mark against the Steelers.
He is also the fourth rookie tight end in the Super Bowl era to record 150 reception yards in a game.
The 2025 fifth-round pick, who was inactive for the first two games of the year, credited Herbert with helping him develop as a rookie.
"Whenever he's been looking for me, I've been a reliable target for him," Gadsden said. "I just want to be able to be a guy he could trust and when throws the ball, I'll be able to catch it. That's really it.
"Yards after catch, I want to be able to catch the ball whenever he throws it to me. That's what my dad taught me when I was young," Gadsden added. "Any receiving position, you just have to catch the ball first and let everything else come after. Just working on catching the ball any time it comes to me, no matter who's throwing it."
3. A frustrated defense
James didn't hold back in the postgame locker room Sunday.
"It was all on us," James said, indicating that the loss fell squarely on the shoulders of the defense.
Besides allowing a season-high in total yards, the Chargers defense also gave up 120 rushing yards, meaning the unit has allowed at least 118 for five straight games.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was limited to under 100 rushing yards with 94, but he scored three touchdowns on the ground Sunday.
"Until you change it, that's a trend we're in right now," James said of the run defense.
Harbaugh also gave his assessment of the group.
"There's been a few fits that have been off," Harbaugh said. "Regroup, reload and keep chipping away at it."
"Give credit. That's a heck of a back and the Colts did an outstanding job. Had us on our heels," Harbaugh added.
Indianapolis' balanced attack also included 288 passing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Daniel Jones, who had plenty of open receivers to choose from.
"Make the plays when we're in a position to do so. A lot of times we're there to make the plays and we're just not there," Henley said. "When we're in position, we need to make those plays. Same thing for us, details, good eyes and good communication."
James said he puts the onus on himself as a captain to be better for a unit that needs better from pretty much everyone right now.
"Overall, we just have to look inward and be better. But I keep saying the same [stuff]," James said. "The last three or four weeks, I've been saying the same thing. Until we get it fixed, we have to do our part."
4.Herbert rues 2 INTs
Herbert threw for a career-high 420 yards on Sunday.
But the Chargers quarterback was in no mood to discuss his historic day as he instead rued a pair of second-quarter interceptions.
"It's obviously tough. You go into the game and you want to protect the ball but I just can't turn the ball over like that," Herbert said.
The Colts opportunistic defense entered Sunday with nine takeaways and added two more in the first half Sunday.
The first interception came on a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage when the Chargers, down 20-3, were on the cusp of the red zone just past the midway point of the second quarter.
The Bolts defense forced a quick punt after the turnover, but the Chargers ensuing offensive possession ended with another interception as Herbert was picked off in the end zone on third-and-7 from the 8-yard line.
"The second quarter … they were playing that type of game and took advantage of it," Harbaugh said.
Herbert only had two multi-interception games from the 2022-2024 seasons but has a pair of them this season.
5. Bolts hurt by slow start
On a day where not much went right for the Chargers, James was asked how the team can correct those woes.
"Don't have the score be 23-3," James said.
That was the score at halftime after a disappointing opening two quarters for the Bolts.
Both sides of the ball took the blame for it.
Offensively, the unit managed a field goal before a punt preceded the pair of interceptions.
"We didn't help them too much in the first half at all," Keenan Allen said of the offense. "Just shooting ourselves in the foot."
Defensively, the Chargers allowed the Colts to walk down the field for touchdowns on their first three possessions.
"Couldn't stop the bleeding early enough, just couldn't get off the field," Tony Jefferson said. "Let them get in good spots for third downs so they were able to go for it on fourth and they converted them.
"Situational awareness wasn't at a premium," Jefferson added. "Definitely wasn't a game we thought we'd go out and have."
