Colts return to site of only loss this season looking to knock off Chargers

Indianapolis (5-1) at Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, CBS

BetMGM NFL Odds: Chargers by 1 1/2

Against the spread: Colts 4-2; Chargers 2-3-1

Series record: Chargers lead 18-10.

Last meeting: Chargers beat Colts 20-3 in Indianapolis on Dec. 26, 2022.

Last week: Colts beat Cardinals 31-27; Chargers beat Dolphins 29-27.

Colts offense: overall (4), rush (6), pass (5), scoring (1).

Colts defense: overall (19), rush (12), pass (22), scoring (4).

Chargers offense: overall (7), rush (13), pass (9), scoring (23).

Chargers defense: overall (7), rush (21), pass (6), scoring (13).

Turnover differential: Colts plus-5; Chargers minus-1.

RB Jonathan Taylor. He’s quickly becoming must see every week. He leads the NFL in carries (115), yards rushing (603) and TD runs (seven). He’s the only player in the league averaging 100 yards per game. Taylor also has been on quite the run lately, too. He is coming off a 123-yard performance in which he scored the winning TD with 4:32 left to play.

RB Kimani Vidal had a breakout game in his first career start, rushing for 124 yards on 18 carries with Omarion Hampton (ankle) out. Vidal also had three receptions for 14 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Los Angeles needs balance to minimize the number of hits QB Justin Herbert takes behind a beat-up offensive line, and Vidal more than met the challenge in his first try.

Chargers offensive line vs. Colts pass rush. Indianapolis is shaky in the secondary because of injuries, as was evident in its Week 4 visit to SoFi Stadium when Rams QB Matthew Stafford threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns to hand the Colts their only defeat so far. Hebert is more than capable of putting up similar numbers if he gets time in the pocket. DE Laiatu Latu has two interceptions but only one sack, so Los Angeles’ spotty play at the tackle spots might be just what the former UCLA standout needs to get going.

Colts: Backup QB Anthony Richardson went on injured reserve earlier this week with a fractured orbital bone suffered while stretching during pregame warmups last week. Starting CB Charvarius Ward (concussion protocol) will not play Sunday after he also was hurt during pregame warmups. WRs Josh Downs (concussion protocol) and Ashton Dulin (chest) are also out. CB Kenny Moore II (Achilles tendon) is listed as questionable but coach Shane Steichen expects him to play.

Chargers: OLB Khalil Mack (elbow) returned to practice this week following a stint on injured reserve, potentially putting him in line to be active on Sunday. Mack is listed as questionable. WR Quentin Johnston (hamstring) will play after being held out against Miami. RT Trey Pipkins III (knee) is set to miss his second straight game.

Indy has lost the past two matchups and five of the past six in this series. ... The Colts also have lost five straight in Los Angeles, including earlier this season against the Rams. Indy hasn’t beaten any of the L.A. teams — the Rams, Chargers or Raiders — in Los Angeles since 1986 when they beat the Raiders 30-24.

Indianapolis’ best start since going 14-0 in 2009 has it atop the AFC South entering Week 7. ... The Colts lead the league in point differential (plus-78) and wins by 20 or more points (three). ... Indy and Tampa Bay are the only teams to top the 20-point mark in each of their first six games. Only Detroit (24) has more total touchdowns than Indy (22), and the Colts have scored TDs on each of their past 10 red zone drives. ... QB Daniel Jones has been sacked a league-low five times and has the second-highest completion rate, 71.7%, through the first six games of a season in franchise history. Peyton Manning completed 72.6% of his throws in 2009. ... Tyler Warren is the first TE in NFL history to average at least 10.0 yards per catch through each of his first six games and can tie the league record for most consecutive games with a TD for rookie TEs. Heath Miller had four straight with Pittsburgh in 2005 and Evan Engram did it in 2017 with the New York Giants. ... Indy has allowed three points following turnovers, the second-lowest total in the league, and its seven interceptions rank third. … Herbert directed his 18th career game-winning drive versus the Dolphins, which is second only to Patrick Mahomes (19) for most in the NFL since 2020. … WR Keenan Allen is closing in on two Chargers franchise records held by his former teammate, TE Antonio Gates. Allen needs 19 receptions and 996 yards to pass Gates, who had 955 catches for 11,841 yards. … Los Angeles gave up one sack for minus-1 yard in Miami after allowing Herbert to be dropped seven times for minus-46 yards during its two-game losing streak. … PK Cameron Dicker was the AFC special teams player of the week after making five field goals in the win over the Dolphins. He has made 105 of 111 field-goal attempts, and Dicker’s 94.6% conversion rate is the best in league history. … The Chargers have scored two rushing touchdowns this season, which is tied with Tennessee and Cincinnati for 29th in the NFL. San Francisco ranks last with one touchdown run. … Los Angeles picked off Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa three times, its second three-INT game this season (Week 2 against Las Vegas).

Taylor, who leads the NFL with eight total touchdowns and ranks third in scrimmage yards (750), has a great chance to add to those tallies against the Chargers run defense. Los Angeles has allowed an average of 153.7 yards rushing over its past three games, including more than 100 yards and two touchdowns to both Washington’s Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Miami’s De’Von Achane.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh looks on during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert scrambles during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor runs for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine denied Moscow's claims that a Ukrainian drone struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as Kyiv on Sunday launched fresh strikes overnight on Russian energy sites.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Ukrainian drones struck the Saratov oil refinery in southwestern Russia, causing a large-scale fire. It said the extent of the damage was being clarified, and claimed the refinery has been supplying Moscow’s war effort.

The refinery belongs to Russia’s state oil enterprise, Rosneft. Local Russian Gov. Roman Busargin, said Ukrainian drones had damaged civilian infrastructure, but did not immediately give details. Astra, an independent Russian news channel, said an oil refinery was on fire in the city of Saratov.

Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russia’s oil and gas facilities in recent months, arguing the energy sector both funds and directly fuels Moscow’s more than 4-year-old invasion.

“Tonight, our soldiers applied Ukraine’s long-range sanctions against an oil refinery in Saratov, Russia — approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the front line. A significant achievement,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media later on Sunday.

Drone debris also set fire to a fuel depot in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, which borders Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, Gov. Yuriy Slyusar reported on Telegram on Sunday. He said residents of nearby homes were evacuated.

Ukraine's General Staff on Sunday confirmed its forces were behind the strike on the facility in the town of Matveev Kurgan. Local authorities said a drone strike on the depot had caused a large-scale fire across a wide area.

According to its General Staff, Ukraine ​also struck the Lazarevo pumping station in Russia's Kirov region northeast of Moscow, more than 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled land. The station helps ship Russian oil ​from Siberia to Belarus.

Regional Gov. Alexander Sokolov said drones had hit ​a facility in the Kirov region, without giving further details.

Kyiv denied a Russian claim that a Ukrainian drone struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest.

Russia’s state nuclear energy company, Rosatom, said on Saturday that the drone exploded after tearing a hole in the wall of a turbine hall. Rosatom’s CEO Alexei Likhachev accused Ukraine of a “deliberate” attack.

“This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a detonation,” Likhachev said. He added there was no damage to main equipment.

Ukraine’s military said it did not target or strike the plant, and described the Russian claim as “yet another propaganda ploy.” A military statement said that it adheres to international humanitarian law and is aware of the "consequences of any actions targeting nuclear facilities.”

“Along the relevant section of the front line, there was no active fighting at the time of the incident, and no weapons were used,” it added.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, voiced “serious concern” in a post on X following the incident.

The IAEA said in a statement Sunday that its inspectors “observed damage to the exterior of a turbine building” that was “consistent with the impact of the drone.” It gave no details of where the drone may have come from, but said radiation levels at the site remained normal.

“During a site walk down, the team saw damage to a metal access hatch located several levels up in the building, as well as a few pieces of debris and burned optical fiber remains on the ground," the agency said in a post on X. It added its inspectors had requested access to the inside of the turbine hall for further examination.

Russian forces captured the Zaporizhzhia plant in the early weeks of the war, and it remains close to the front lines in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, one of four Russia has formally annexed despite lacking full military control or international recognition for its actions.

The nuclear plant has repeatedly come under fire since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, sparking fears of a nuclear accident. Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for targeting the plant.

Elsewhere, Ukraine’s air force said Sunday that it had shot down 212 of 299 drones launched by Russia overnight. It said 14 drones had reached their targets, while drone debris fell in five locations.

A truck driver died early on Sunday as drones hit a parking lot in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region, according to local administration head Vyacheslav Chaus.

Russian drones struck the city of Dnipro and an oil refinery in Ukraine’s Rivne region, causing fires, authorities said. No one was injured in either location, Ukrainian officials later reported.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Servicemen of Ukraine's defense intelligence set up the Peklo (Hell) missile drone against Russian in an undisclosed location in Ukraine late Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Servicemen of Ukraine's defense intelligence set up drones against Russian in an undisclosed location in Ukraine late Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)