By Ross Jackson
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers are set to square off on Sunday as the Saints try to end their losing streak at five games. This may end up being the most important game of the season for either team as they look to re-establish momentum in a pair of divisions that could quickly get out of their reach. Here are five things to watch this weekend as the Saints travel to take on the Chargers.
- The Saints may be at their healthiest since Week 3
New Orleans is finally getting healthier. While health alone won’t give them a notch in the win column, it is an important step forward for the team which has been ravaged by injuries. Last week, the Saints were without seven of their initial starters on offense. This week, they’ll get several of those pieces back.
Two interior offensive lineman, top wide receiver Chris Olave and do-it-all tight end Taysom Hill all look to be ready to go this weekend. As for the defense, the Saints will have their entire defensive line and linebacking corps for the first game this season.
Two new faces, rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry and recent free agent acquisition wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, will be key contributors. Without starting cornerback Paulson Adebo and starting wideout Rashid Shaheed, the two should see major roles for the Saints in Los Angeles.
2. The Chargers have not scored a touchdown in 15 consecutive possessions
Los Angeles has not found the end zone since the second quarter of their Week 6 win against the Denver Broncos. Scoring has been at a premium for both of these teams as of late. Los Angeles is the 26th ranked scoring offense while the Saints have fallen from 45.5 points per game in their first two weeks to 17.2 over their last five.
The Chargers have struggled in the fourth quarter of games, outscored 46-to-22 so far this season. New Orleans, on the other hand, has amassed a total of 42 points in the fourth this year.
3. Los Angeles has the NFL’s top scoring defense
While the Chargers may struggle to put points on the board, their defense has made it very challenging for opposing offenses to take advantage of that flaw. The Charger’s defense is allowing just 13.6 points per game so far this season. To make matters even more complicated for New Orleans, Los Angeles expects to return its top pass rusher in Joey Bosa this week.
4. Rookie Spencer Rattler will get this third start at quarterback for New Orleans
This may be the last week that the Saints are without starting quarterback Derek Carr. While second-year passer Jake Haener led a late scoring drive as their Week 7 loss to the Denver Broncos came to a close, it wasn’t enough to make the Saints pivot off of rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Rattler will get his third consecutive start, and for good reason. The Saints would be selling themselves short calling the last two games an accurate evaluation of Rattler due to the injuries on offense. They will now be able to get a more accurate assessment of what they have in the fifth-round passer with a healthier protection unit and set of weapons around him.
5. Both team’s rushing attacks can be the difference in this game
New Orleans has struggled to run the football consistently as of late. Even worse, they’ve struggled to limit opposing rushing attacks. Meanwhile, the Chargers have committed consistently to their ground game while touting the NFL’s No. 9 rushing defense in yardage allowed. The Saints will look to get their run game back churning in SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
Whichever team finds success on the ground may just be the team to win this one. Putting together long, extended drives that require a lot of stamina from the defense they are facing and ending those long drives with touchdowns rather than field goals may be exactly what everyone is discussing about the winner of this matchup when it is all said and done.
