The Chargers’ 20-3 victory over the Colts on Monday night was slightly marred by the ejection of star safety Derwin James, who was disqualified following a helmet-to-helmet hit on wide receiver Ashton Dulin in the second quarter. In the aftermath, Los Angeles head coach Brandon Staley defended his star player, and blamed Indianapolis for putting Dulin in a precarious position.
“It’s a play where they obviously laid the guy out in a tough position, which is their fault, not ours, and Derwin made an aggressive play,” Staley said, per Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “I’ve seen him make a lot of tackles on plays just like that, and I know that his target was not above the neck. I know that.”
Staley said he believed that James “tried to lead with the shoulder” on the play, which left both players shaken up.
The play occurred on second-and-2 with 5:23 remaining in the second quarter. Colts quarterback Nick Foles fired a quick strike to Dulin, who immediately took a booming hit to the head and neck area from James’s helmet as he tried to make the tackle.
James was penalized for unnecessary roughness and disqualified from the contest. Dulin was ruled out with a concussion during halftime.
Colts coach Jeff Saturday said he agreed with the call on the field and that James deserved to be ejected.
“It was right in front of me, and it definitely deserved an ejection,” Saturday said, per the Indianapolis Star. “You can’t launch into a guy’s head, especially a guy who’s turned the other way and unprotected.”
The win clinched a playoff spot for the Chargers, who are now 9-6 on the season. The Colts dropped to 4-10-1 with the loss.
