Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers throws the ball against the Indianapolis Colts on December 26, 2022 in Indianapolis, the US. Photo: VCG

Justin Herbert passed for 235 yards (215 meters) and Austin Ekeler ran for two touchdowns to help the Los Angeles Chargers clinch a playoff berth with a 20-3 win against the host Indianapolis Colts on Monday night.

With their third straight victory, the Chargers (9-6) qualified for the postseason for the first time since the 2018 season.

"It means a lot for our team," Herbert said of a Chargers side that lost a string of key contributors to injury this season. "We've been through so much this year and for the guys to battle and keep fighting the way they have, it's been great to see." 

Nick Foles took over as the starter at quarterback for Indianapolis and finished 17-for-29 for 143 yards and three interceptions. He was also sacked seven times.

Matt Ryan was benched after the Colts blew a 33-0 halftime lead on December 17 in a 39-36 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Indianapolis (4-10-1) were held to 173 total yards in its fifth straight loss.

The Chargers did not record a first down on their first three drives, but they marched 70 yards on 13 plays on their fourth and took a 7-0 lead on a one-yard touchdown run by Ekeler with 8:41 left in the second quarter.

"We can get better," Ekeler said. "Just left a lot out there. But I thought the story of the day was the defense. They've done such a great job battling all year and they made plays when they needed to most."

The Chargers intercepted two passes in the first quarter, including one by All-Pro safety Derwin James, who had missed the previous two games with a quad injury.

James was involved in a helmet-to-helmet tackle on Ashton Dulin with 5:19 left in the first half. James was disqualified from the game and Dulin was later ruled out with a concussion.

Chase McLaughlin capped the drive with a 46-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 with 4:21 left in the half.

Cameron Dicker booted a 24-yard field goal as time expired to give the Chargers a 10-3 halftime lead.

Asante Samuel Jr intercepted the third pass for Los Angeles on its first defensive series of the second half, and the Chargers cashed that in with a 21-yard field goal by Dicker for a 13-3 lead with 6:01 left in the third quarter.

Ekeler scored on another one-yard run to extend the lead to 20-3 with 8:20 left in the game.