The Los Angeles Chargers (4-2) face the Indianapolis Colts (5-1) in one of the marquee matchups of Week 7. The two teams each lead their division races and this is a game that could come down to a play or two one way or the other.
The Colts have been one of the biggest surprises in the league behind a resurgent Daniel Jones, but they are led by one of the league's best offensive lines and running back Jonathan Taylor, who is having a huge season. Through six games, Taylor has rushed for 603 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Chargers are going to need to win the battle up front if they are going to win this game, or at least be competitive if they want to have a shot at winning. The Colts are going to look to come into SoFi Stadium and dictate the pace of this game with a tough, physical attack.
Teair Tart will need to help the Chargers stand tall against that plan of attack. With Da'Shawn Hand on injured reserve, Tart leads a Los Angeles front that is otherwise young with second-year player Justin Eboigbe and rookie Jamaree Caldwell behind him.
Tart has had a fantastic season for the team, doing things that don't necessarily show up in the box score. But he has batted down a couple of passes, forced a fumble and recovered another, but what he does best is push people around at the point of attack. Though his most recognizable play this season is this slap of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, he has been one of the best players on the team.
The Chargers need another strong effort from Tart in this game to help keep Taylor bottled up. He is averaging 100 yards rushing and one touchdown per game on the ground this season. A key statistic for this game, provided by ESPN research, is that Taylor leads the NFL with four rushing touchdowns outside the tackles this season. That's not a good sign, as the Chargers have allowed the most rushing touchdowns outside the tackles this season, with five.
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