With 1 minute, 49 seconds left in the game, Chargers tight end Brandon Manumaleuna caught a 13-yard pass from Philip Rivers and stretched to try to make the first down.

Chargers coach Norv Turner, thinking that Manumaleuna was about a foot short, called for a timeout. On the official's spot, however, the ball was 2 yards short.

Turner elected to have Nate Kaeding kick the tying field goal, but the extra seconds would prove valuable to the Colts. On their drive that followed, they barely got the clock stopped with two seconds remaining before getting their winning field goal.

"Obviously, calling the timeout gave them extra time," Turner said. " ... I thought we were fourth-and-a-foot, and a foot or less and I was in the mindset to go for it. ... Again, (the Colts) would call the timeout and they would've had one less. They would've had none on the drive."

Hester's mixed night

When Chargers fullback Mike Tolbert went out with a shoulder injury, it gave fellow rookie Jacob Hester a chance for some action. He responded by making three catches -- all on a fourth-quarter scoring drive that ended with Hester scoring his first NFL touchdown on a 1-yard pass from Rivers.

Hester, who had not touched the ball since fumbling on the second carry of his career against the Jets in Week 3, carried the souvenir Football to the sideline after his score, but the memory will be bittersweet.

"I wish it could have been under different circumstances," Hester said. "It gave us some good momentum, but in the end it wasn't good enough."

Manning's got issues

In a game of questionable calls by the referees, even the winning quarterback had to complain.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning marveled that, for the second straight regular-season meeting against the Chargers, his team had an apparent first down taken away in the closing seconds. By the same officiating crew.

In the Chargers' victory here last season, the Colts thought running back Joseph Addai had gained a first down late in the fourth quarter. An official in the booth called for a replay to confirm the spot, and it was determined Addai did not make the first. Adam Vinatieri was called on to kick the winning field goal from 29 yards, but missed.

Last night on their winning drive, the Colts were initially given a first down on a catch by Marvin Harrison at the Chargers' 48. But after a review, officials moved the ball back less than a yard, and on the measurement, the Colts were short by less than an inch. Manning, of course, converted the fourth down en route to the winning field goal.

"It's kind of hard to believe they took a first down away from us again," Manning said. "I can't get fined for that, right? I'm just restating facts. You feel good about first-and-10 with 27 seconds to go and one timeout. Then they overturn it and it becomes fourth-and-1."

Manning said of the play-call on fourth down: "I think San Diego thought we were going to sneak it. Sneaking it would use up a lot of time and we would lose our timeout. We had the right play."

Finally, a pick

When cornerback Quentin Jammer intercepted Manning on a deep pass in the second quarter, it was the Chargers' first takeaway in five games and a span of 185 passes.

Never in their history had the Chargers gone five full games without an interception. And they had not gone five games without a takeaway since at least 1970, the year of the NFL-AFL merger. LT passes Riggins

With 84 yards rushing on 12 carries, Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson passed John Riggins to move into 14th place on the NFL's all-time rushing list. Riggins had 11,352 career yards, and Tomlinson now has 11,420.

It might be some time before Tomlinson reaches 13th, because the runner in that position, Edgerrin James of the Arizona Cardinals, is the only active player in front of him. James ran one time for minus-1 yard yesterday against the New York Giants and is 571 yards ahead of Tomlinson.

12th man

The Chargers can't say their fans didn't try to contribute in last night's game. When the Colts were trying to drive to a touchdown in the third quarter, Manning had to call timeout twice in the span of four plays because the din was so loud at the west end of the stadium.

The roar was thunderous when Dominic Rhodes was stopped on third-and-goal from the 2. But the crowd quickly went silent seconds later, when Manning lined up in the shotgun on fourth down and threw a dart that Rhodes caught in front of linebacker Stephen Cooper.

Cooper takes blame

The last man in the Chargers' locker room to take his shoulder pads off was Cooper. He said he was solely to blame for the touchdown by Rhodes, whom he was covering one-on-one.

"I've got to play inside leverage, knowing Peyton Manning is going to go up and quick-snap it," Cooper said. "You've got to be ready, and I wasn't. The defense did a great job on the first three plays, and on fourth down I allow the touchdown."

Injury report

Tolbert and tackle Marcus McNeill (hip) were the two reported injuries, but also hurting was punter Mike Scifres.

On his last punt of the game near the end of the third quarter, Scifres walked carefully to the sideline and winced after a 37-yard boot, handled with a fair catch at the Colts' 18, that was well below his league-leading net average of 42.9.

Indianapolis drove from that position to make a field goal that gave it a 17-10 lead.

After the game, Scifres' right leg was wrapped in ice.

"It's nothing too serious; it's just sore," Scifres said. "It's sore in the hamstring and it's bothering me a little bit. I've got to get through it."