The Chargers beat the Saints on Sunday afternoon, improving to 4-3.
Here’s our recap of the Week 8 win.
It was over when…
Ladd McConkey scored his second touchdown to extend the Chargers’ lead to 18.
Notable number
According to NextGen Stats, Joe Alt did not allow pressure on any of his 38 pass-blocking snaps against the Saints, tied for the most snaps without pressure allowed by a rookie tackle over the last three seasons.
3 stars of the game
- QB Justin Herbert: Herbert had a strong performance against the Cardinals last Monday night and carried that over to this weekend. Herbert finished 20 of 32 passing for 279 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 49 yards on the ground on four rushes, including one for a big 38-yard gain.
- WR Ladd McConkey: McConkey has shown flashes this season, but it was only a matter of time until he had a breakout game. That came on Sunday when he caught six passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns, including one for 60 yards.
- LB Daiyan Henley: Henley led the team in tackles (11) and had a pass deflection.
Quick hits
- Herbert engineered a multitude of big plays through the air. On 10+ yard throws, he finished 7 of 11 for 195 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by McConkey’s 60-yard scoring grab.
- The Chargers had no problems finding the end zone after failing to score a touchdown since the second quarter of the Week 6 game against the Broncos.
- Second-half scoring has been a problem this season. The Chargers hadn’t scored a touchdown in the third or fourth quarter since Week 1, but they ended that drought by scoring two in the second half. They were 2-of-3 in the red zone.
- The offense had its fair share of struggles, however. The Chargers struggled to run the ball against a Saints defense that was bottom of the barrel in that department. They went 3-for-12 on third down. The pass protection was uneven.
- The Chargers held the Saints to 2-for-14 on third down and prevented them from reaching double digits in scoring. But they still allowed 366 total yards, 117 of which came on the ground. Alvin Kamara had a few explosive plays, a product of Los Angeles’ handful of missed tackles in open space.
- The Chargers did a much better job of generating pressure. They finished with five sacks and seven quarterback hits.
- Special teams was sloppy early on. Josh Harris and JK Scott failed to connect on a punt snap, which resulted in a safety. Cameron Dicker also missed an extra point.
What’s next?
The Chargers are back on the road to face the Browns next Sunday, Nov. 3, at 11:00 am PT.