Justin Herbert threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns Sunday as the Los Angeles Chargers stopped the struggling New Orleans Saints 26-8 in Inglewood, Calif.
Herbert completed 20 of 32 passes, the biggest one a 60-yard scoring strike to rookie receiver Ladd McConkey with 8:48 left in the third quarter. McConkey caught a deep throw over Alontae Taylor, broke a tackle and split two defenders down the middle of the field to reach the end zone.
McConkey finished with six catches for 111 yards and two scores, making him the first Charger rookie receiver to get 100 yards and a touchdown in a game since Keenan Allen did it in 2013. J.K. Dobbins added a score for Los Angeles (4-3).
New Orleans (2-6) dropped its sixth straight game and again struggled to generate offense with starting quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) sidelined for the third straight game. Rookie Spencer Rattler started and went 12 of 24 for 156 yards before being hooked in the third quarter for Jake Haener.
The switch didn’t produce the result coach Dennis Allen wanted as Haener was 9 of 17 for 122 yards. The Saints were outgained 378-366 and absorbed five sacks.
New Orleans initiated scoring via a gaffe from Chargers long snapper Josh Harris. He missed punter J.K. Scott wide right with a snap less than five minutes into the game and the ball eventually bounced out of the side of the end zone for a safety.
Los Angeles took the lead for good on the first play of the second quarter on Cameron Dicker’s 46-yard field goal. Dobbins made it 9-2 with 1:37 left in the half when his 1-yard run capped a 90-yard drive that lasted more than eight minutes but the Saints pulled within 9-5 at the break on Blake Grupe’s 40-yard field goal.
The teams exchanged field goals after McConkey’s long score before the Chargers sealed the outcome on Herbert’s 9-yard strike to McConkey with 3:22 remaining in the game.
–Field Level Media
