Saints vs. Chargers Series History
In the last game of Week Five, the 2-2 New Orleans Saints will host the 1-3 Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. The Saints are coming off a 35-29 road win over the Detroit Lions that snapped a two-game losing streak. A win would move them back into a first-place tie in the NFC South. Los Angeles has lost three straight after an opening day win and looking to stay in contention in the AFC West.
This is only the 13th time that the Saints and Chargers have ever played. Los Angeles holds a 7-5 lead in the series, as the San Diego Chargers, and a 4-2 advantage when the teams play each other in New Orleans. They played one of those games on a neutral site, with the Saints designated as the home team. They played the first game between the franchises in San Diego on November 18, 1973, a 17-14 Chargers victory. It was the first of three consecutive wins by San Diego over the Saints.
The next two meetings between the two were their first games in the Superdome against each other. The first of the two played on October 9, 1977, would be a 14-0 Chargers win. The second would be another San Diego shutout, this time a 35-0 whitewash on December 9, 1979.
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They would not play again until October 9, 1988, this time in San Diego. New Orleans would register their first win against the Chargers that day, prevailing 23-17 with a balanced effort on both sides of the ball. San Diego would defeat the Saints the next three times they faced after that, including two more victories in New Orleans. After losing to the Chargers in six out of seven meetings between 1973 and 1997, the Saints finally defeated their AFC West foe again on the road in San Diego on September 10, 2000.
The Saints defense held the Chargers to just 188 yards in that game and collected five sacks and two turnovers, but still trailed late in the contest. With less than one minute to play, Saints WR Joe Horn, who had 12 receptions for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game, caught the game-winning scoring pass from QB Jeff Blake to pull out a 28-27 victory.
Aug 17, 2017; Costa Mesa, CA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers pose during practice at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
In 2006, New Orleans signed a free agent quarterback named Drew Brees, after he had spent the first five years of his NFL career with the San Diego Chargers, who selected with the 2nd overall pick of the 2001 draft. After one Pro Bowl, a playoff berth, and two winning seasons during his time with the Chargers, San Diego let him walk as a free agent following a devastating injury in the 2005 season finale.
Since joining the Saints, Brees has forged one of the greatest careers in NFL history and is the league's all-time leader in passing yardage, touchdowns, completions, and completion percentage. He is 3-0 against the Chargers as the Saints' quarterback, averaging over 300 yards passing in those games with 9 touchdown passes and 3 interceptions. The first time Brees faced his former team was on October 26, 2008, in London, England. Brees threw for 339 yards and three scores in the game, leading his Saints to a 37-32 win. The next time he’d go up against his former employer, Brees would make NFL history.
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On Sunday, October 7, 2012, the Saints were hosting San Diego in front of a national Sunday Night Football audience. Drew Brees came into the contest having thrown a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games, tying an NFL-record set by Johnny Unitas in 1960. On their second drive of the game and with the ball at the San Diego 40-Yd line, Brees dropped back to pass with 3:05 left in the 1st quarter. He found WR Devery Henderson deep down the right sideline for a touchdown that tied the game and broke Unitas’ 52-Yr old NFL record.
Henderson caught 8 passes for 123 yards and that score on the night, with WR Marques Colston adding 9 receptions for 131 yards and three touchdowns, as Brees passed for 370 yards and 4 scores on the way to a 31-24 Saints victory. It was also the first, and only, time that the Saints have defeated the Chargers in the Superdome.
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The last time these teams met was on October 2, 2016, in San Diego. It was also the last season that the Chargers played in San Diego, before moving to Los Angeles in 2017. Despite being outgained by the Chargers in total yardage, New Orleans pulled out a 35-34 win with two 4th quarter touchdowns from rookie WR Michael Thomas and RB John Kuhn. Chances seem good that this will be the last time Drew Brees will face off against the franchise that originally drafted him.
The Saints come into this contest without WR Michael Thomas and CB Janoris Jenkins, while some other injured players will be game-time decisions. Also, the Chargers have injury issues, missing Pro Bowlers Derwin James, Chris Harris Jr., and Melvin Ingram on the defensive side, along with RB Austin Ekeler and three offensive starters.
Aug 25, 2018; Carson, CA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY
I expect New Orleans to bring heavy pressure on L.A. rookie quarterback Justin Herbert defensively, and they should be able to shut down the Chargers running game. Offensively, New Orleans RB Alvin Kamara is off to a terrific start early in the season. The Saints will be aggressive early on while looking to establish balance and set up big plays down the field against the Chargers banged-up secondary.
Teammates of Drew Brees have always spoken to how extra intense their quarterback has been when facing his former team, even during the preseason. Expect Drew Brees to be sharp and extra focused, as the Saints head into their bye week with a wave of momentum.
