Tag: Chris Olave

Social media reacts to Chargers’ win over the Saints

Here is how the general population reacted to the Chargers’ win over the Saints, with many heaping praise on Ladd McConkey’s big performance.

The Chargers defeated the Saints on Sunday.

The Bolts are now 4-3.

Here’s how social media reacted to the Week 8 game:

Is Chris Olave playing today? Injury updates for Saints WR

Saints wide receiver Chris Olave cleared concussion protocol from a Week 6 injury, here are the latest updates:

The New Orleans Saints wide receiver room has had a tough time this season with injuries, most notably to their top two targets Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. While Shaheed will be out for the season, Olave was dealing with a concussion, residual from their matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has suffered four concussions in his football career, three in the NFL so far already in his two-and-and-half years at this level. Here is the full update on his concussion status, as well as information on his status for Week 8.

Chris Olave injury update

As of the latest Saints injury report, Chris Olave will be available for the Week 8 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers, which is a huge update given their lack of depth at the position lately.

Olave cleared concussion protocol, which was announced on Friday by head coach Dennis Allen.

How long was Chris Olave out?

Chris Olave ended up missing Week 7 and most of Week 6 with this concussion, as he was hit hard early against the Buccaneers, and then missed the next week against the Denver Broncos since it was a short week for “Thursday Night Football”. This was likely for the best regardless, as with this being Olave’s third NFL concussion and fourth since 2020, it is best to remain cautious and keep his long-term health in mind as well when discussing head injuries. He will now return for Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers, and get a chance to work back into the fold with rookie Spencer Rattler at the helm.

Saints wide receiver depth chart for Week 8

The current depth chart for the Saints at wide receiver entering Week 8 looks a decent bit better with Chris Olave back. They have made some changes as of late as well, with the current room looking like this:

  • Chris Olave
  • Marquez Valdez-Scantling
  • Bub Means
  • Mason Tipton
  • Jermaine Jackson
  • Equanimeous St. Brown
  • Injured (out for Week 8): Rashid Shaheed (knee), Cedrick Wilson Jr. (hip)

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Week 8 broadcast map: Will your station carry Saints vs. Chargers?

The New Orleans Saints’ Week 8 game against the Los Angeles Chargers is a strictly local affair per the 506 Sports broadcast maps:

The New Orleans Saints are back after a 10-day break since losing to the Denver Broncos on “Thursday Night Football.” This week, they square off with another AFC West team, the Los Angeles Chargers. New Orleans opened up Week 7 and the Chargers closed it on Monday night.

The Saints return a much healthier team than last time you saw them. They bring back key pieces, such as Chris Olave and Taysom Hill, to help Spencer Rattler in his third start. Improved health should to improved offense which hopefully leads to breaking a five-game losing streak.

The Saints’ trip to the West Coast results in the Saints first late kickoff of the season. Saints versus Chargers will air on FOX, but will you be able to catch it in your local area? Kickoff is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. CT on FOX.

If you’re in Louisiana or parts of its neighboring states, the answer is yes. The Los Angeles to San Diego area is also showing the game on local channels. Per 506 Sports, only local areas are televising the game. Chargers vs. Saints, unsurprisingly, doesn’t have much national appeal.

Coverage of this week’s game is reflected in green on this map from 506 Sports. See if you’ll catch the broadcast from your local FOX affiliate station:

Rookie Saints QB will have his best supporting cast in Week 8

Spencer Rattler is finally getting a stronger supporting cast in what will likely be his last start. The Saints’ rookie QB must make the most of this opportunity:

Week 8 is probably Spencer Rattler’s last start of the season, barring any setbacks or another injury to starting quarterback Derek Carr. It’s also the first time to get a real evaluation of Rattler.

The New Orleans Saints’ injury woes have been a frequent topic of discussion and the biggest losses have been on the offensive side of the ball. Rattler has played both of his starts without starting offensive linemen Erik McCoy, Lucas Patrick and Cesar Ruiz.

Rattler played with star wideout Chris Olave for just three snaps, and he only had Rashid Shaheed for a game. Do-it-all tight end/fullback Taysom Hill hasn’t taken the field during Rattler’s short run as starter.

Outside of McCoy and Shaheed, all of those pieces are coming back this week. For the first time, fans will see Rattler with multiple reliable weapons and, hopefully, consistent protection.

It’s one thing for a veteran to play without some of these pieces. That’s a rough position to put an experienced passer in. It’s even a bigger challenge to ask a rookie to start his career with an empty cabinet.

Rattler’s stretch of starts may end Sunday with Carr expected back next  week. Luckily for him, it’s his best chance at showcasing his potential before Carr returns.

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5 Saints players to watch vs. Chargers in Week 8

The Saints are in the midst of a five-game skid, but the Chargers will still have to keep their eye on a few playmakers this weekend.

The Chargers are back to .500, and now they are set to face the 2-5 New Orleans Saints. After a blazing hot start to the season, the Saints have lost five consecutive games.

Injuries have caught up to them, particularly at the quarterback position, but they are better than their 2-5 record suggests. Here are some Saints players to keep an eye on in this Week 8 matchup.

RB Alvin Kamara

Even at 29 years old, Kamara remains the Saints’ most dynamic weapon. The veteran has 690 yards from scrimmage and seven total touchdowns in seven contests this season. As usual, he’s been used heavily in the passing game, leading all running backs with 34 catches. Expect more of the same in Week 8, especially if Derek Carr is ruled inactive.

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling

The seventh-year veteran was released by the Bills just over a week ago and then picked up by the Saints earlier this week. Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans’ primary deep threat, is out for the year with a knee injury. Valdes-Scantling has been known for his big-play ability throughout his career. Even if he doesn’t get on the field much, the Chargers secondary will need to keep an eye on him due to his speed.

TE Taysom Hill

He’s become a jack of all trades for the Saints, as he can line up virtually anywhere on the field. Hill is a weapon in the red zone, where New Orleans uses him as a runner. He’s averaged 5.5 yards per carry on 14 attempts this season, in addition to two rushing touchdowns in three games. Hill has missed the past month with a rib injury, but he’s set to return this weekend and the Chargers will need to account for him, particularly in the redzone.

LB Carl Granderson

Granderson continues to make his name as one of the more underrated pass rushers in football. With Cameron Jordan’s play declining, Granderson has stepped up. He’s tabbed 29 QB pressures, three sacks, and a forced fumble on the season. While the Chargers possess one of the best tackle duos in football, Granderson could pose a problem this weekend.

CB Alontae Taylor

In coverage, Taylor hasn’t been necessarily great. Entering Week 8, he ranks 174th out of 195 qualified cornerbacks in pass coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. On the flip side, though, he’s been one of the best blitzers in the NFL. Taylor has racked up 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, some exceptional numbers out of a defensive back. Greg Roman and the Chargers offense will need to make sure to account for Taylor on blitzes so that he doesn’t affect the outcome of the game.

Saints’ best wide receiver cleared concussion protocol ahead of Week 8 game

It’s been trending this way all week, and Chris Olave is officially good to go for the Saints Week 8 matchup against the Chargers

Chris Olave has cleared concussion protocol, and he will play against the Los Angeles Chargers this Sunday. Dennis Allen made the announcement Friday afternoon. The New Orleans Saints offense needed their lead receiver back badly.

Technically, Olave only missed the “Thursday Night Football” game against the Denver Broncos, but he missed essentially the entire Tampa Bay Buccaneers game as well.

With Derek Carr likely returning next week, there’s a high probability this will be Olave’s only opportunity to play a full game with Spencer Rattler.

Expect Rattler to target Olave early and often, especially with Rashid Shaheed out for the season. Rattler targeted Olave early against Tampa Bay, but there was no chance to target him often as the concussion happened on his first catch.

Having Olave back in the mix is a welcomed sight after the Saints. They aren’t deep at wide receiver, and that was apparent last week without Olave and Shaheed.

The position group didn’t get any deeper. They signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Still, it’ll be on Olave to carry the weight of the position.

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Saints welcome back some reinforcements on final injury report vs. Chargers

The Saints welcomed back some reinforcements on the final injury report vs. Chargers. Taysom Hill, Chris Olave, and Pete Werner are good to go:

The New Orleans Saints welcomed back some reinforcements on the final injury report for Week 8’s road game with the Los Angeles Chargers. Tight  end/fullback Taysom Hill (rib), wide receiver Chris Olave (concussion), and  linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring) are good to go, and so are starting offensive linemen Cesar Ruiz (knee) and Lucas Patrick (chest).

All told, of the 14 players on this week’s injury report just two won’t be playing after being preemptively ruled out — backup guard Nick Saldiveri (shoulder) and wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. (hip). Starting quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) is questionable to return to action, but we knew he was probably another week away already.

It’s the best injury report the Saints have had all season. Let’s see if it makes a difference after this five-game losing skid.

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Newly-acquired wide receiver details what he brings to the Saints’ table

The New Orleans Saints have a clear vision for Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and he says he’s ready to step up to the plate:

There was a clear goal when the New Orleans Saints signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling. New Orleans was bringing him in to offset some of deep threat ability Rashid Shaheed brought to the table.

That wasn’t lost on Valdes-Scantling. On Wednesday, he said he wants to “come in and contribute any way he can,” but we all know what that looks like.

The wide receiver is aiming to “provide the big-play ability that I’ve had over my whole career. I just want to get back to doing that and be able to push the ball down the field, so we can score some points.”

Valdes-Scantling averaged 15.3, 17.4,  20.9 (leading the league in 2020), and 16.5 yards per catch during his four years with the Green Bay Packers, and he continued to make plays as a downfield threat on the Kansas City Chiefs. He picked up yards at 16.4 and 15.0 per catch the last two years, so he knows how to take the top off the defense.

One thing that’ll help is Valdes-Scantling’s familiarity with the system: “It’s very similar to the offense I had when I was in Green Bay a couple of years ago, so it’s some carry over there.”

Already possessing knowledge of the offense’s principles will help Valdes-Scantling grasp the Saints’ playbook quickly, and possibly get on the field Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Either way, when the coaches call him up, he’s confident he can deliver.

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Several key Saints offensive players upgraded on Week 8 injury report

Chris Olave, Taysom Hill, and Cesar Ruiz were among the players upgraded to full practice reps on the new Saints-Chargers injury report:

There’s more good news on Thursday’s New Orleans Saints injury report. Offensive playmakers including wide receiver Chris Olave, tight end/fullback Taysom Hill, and starting right guard Cesar Ruiz were among the players upgraded to full practice reps ahead of Week 8’s game with the Los Angeles Chargers.

That means just a few players continued to miss practice (starting quarterback Derek Carr and left guard Nick Saldiveri were joined  by veteran wideout Cedrick Wilson Jr., dealing with a hip injury) and five more were limited. Six players practiced fully while receiving treatment for their injuries, which at least feels like the most in weeks.

Here’s the full injury report. We’ll get game statuses on Friday, but things are trending up for the black and gold:

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Key things to know about Chargers’ Week 8 opponent: Saints

Here are some important things to know about the Saints ahead of the Week 8 matchup with the Chargers.

The Chargers return home to face the Saints on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 1:05 p.m. PT.

To get you prepped for the Week 8 bout, here are five key things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent ahead of the matchup.

How things are going…

The Saints are 2-5 on the season. New Orleans has lost its last five games.

Rookie under center

The Saints announced they’re starting first-year quarterback Spencer Rattler for the third straight week. Rattler was thrown in as the starter when Derek Carr sustained an oblique injury in Week 5. This will be Rattler’s first game on the road. The former South Carolina product has completed 62.7% of his passes for 415 yards with one touchdown to two interceptions.

Could be getting some key players back

Aside from being without Carr, the Saints were without some other important offensive players last weekend against the Broncos. Wide receiver Chris Olave (concussion) and tight end Taysom Hill (ribs), who were both out in Week 7, returned to full participation at practice Thursday. Additionally, guard Cesar Ruiz and linebacker Pete Werner were present for practice.

Run all over

The Chargers struggled to run the football last Monday. However, there is an excellent opportunity for a bounce-back performance against a Saints defense that is allowing 146.7 yards rushing per game and 5.4 yards per carry. Since Week 3, New Orleans has allowed 901 yards on the ground, the most in the NFL in that span.

Look out for…

Running back Alvin Kamara. Cardinals RB James Connor had his way with the Chargers defense. Now, Los Angeles will prepare for another one of the league’s better backs. Kamara is a dual-threat weapon who’s posted 690 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns.