Chargers D rattles the Saints in 27-13 win

The first preseason game for the 2025 New Orleans Saints ended in a 27-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the former team of both head coach Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. 

Trey Lance scrambled for a 5-yard score and rookie Eric Rogers had a 43-yard pick-6 in a mostly sluggish offensive performance by the Los Angeles Chargers in a 27-13 exhibition win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Despite completing 7 of 11 passes and rushing for 22 yards on three scrambles, Rattler looked a bit “rattled”. Rattler was clearly frantic in his first game action of the year. Coming into this matchup, he had been the most consistent quarterback in Saints training camp, praised as the most decisive passer in the room and the one who made the best decisions with the football.

Some of that was evident early, as Rattler delivered on-time throws and got the ball out quickly on drop-backs. But when plays required patience and deeper routes to develop, he appeared jittery in the pocket, losing composure and taking avoidable sacks. To his credit, he used his legs to extend drives and inch the offense closer to the end zone, but his rhythm faded after the opening possession.

New Orleans leaned on its QB competition, with Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough alternating series. Rattler wasn’t able to cash in on drives, finishing 7-for-11 for 53 yards with a fumble and three sacks taken behind a shaky pass protection and a powerful Chargers pass rush. Shough steadied the offense earlier, finishing 15-for-22 for 165 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Notable in the air: a 54-yard connection to Mason Tipton stood as the game’s splash play and a blueprint for NO’s air-threat potential if the top end of the depth chart comes together. Shough also guided a late first-half drive that culminated in a field goal during a 2-minute drill, signaling clock-management and rhythm-building under center.

New Orleans did its best work in bursts, but points were scarce; the Saints still controlled the possession clock for stretches, yet failed to capitalize in the red zone outside of that late march. The defense held steady for long stretches, with a few big plays to keep the score close.

Los Angeles leaned on its depth at QB and ball distribution. Trey Lance was the clear spark for the Chargers, sprinting 7 times for 48 yards and adding a designed quarterback keeper for a score; he finished a nibble over 7-of-14 through the air, showing the upside of a live-arm, mobile backup in a multi-QB depth chart. Taylor Heinicke started a series but didn’t click consistently, giving Lance a longer look and a window into the team’s Week 1 contingency plan. The Chargers’ defense was active, producing two interceptions, including a pick-six by Eric Rogers, plus a pair of sacks by Caleb Murphy. Troy Dye hauled in a fourth-down stop at the goal line, underscoring the unit’s willingness to mix situational plays with regular-season-style pressure. Davon Campbell flashed in the middle of the field with a 51-yard catch and a contested grab in the red zone, reinforcing the value of Chargers depth on game nights that test late-rotation players.

From a fantasy lens, Lance’s show is the afternoon’s intrigue: his rushing upside and dual-threat footprint keep him in play as a late-season pivot in best-ball or two-QB formats, especially if LA leans into boot concepts and QB-designed runs. For NO, Tipton’s emergence as a deep-threat option and Shough’s poise in the pocket point to a potentially productive Week 1 plan if the coaching staff commits to a starter earlier in the preseason. Olave’s target floor remains high in a pass-heavy game plan, while Shaheed’s big-play potential keeps him in the boom/bust mix in deeper formats.

The key stats:

Passing

• Los Angeles Chargers: Trey Lance 7 of 14 for 55 yards; Tyler Shough 15 of 22 for 165 yards and a touchdown; Taylor Heinicke 1 of 5 for 8 yards; DJ Uiagalelei 1 of 1 for 49 yards.
• New Orleans Saints: Spencer Rattler 7 of 11 for 53 yards; Tyler Shough 15 of 22 for 165 yards with a touchdown and an interception (to Eric Rogers); Jake Haener 5 of 8 for 41 yards with an interception.

Rushing

• Trey Lance led the Bolts with 7 carries for 48 yards and a rushing TD; Rashaad Sanders had 10 carries for 42 yards and a rushing TD; Haskins 6-33; Vidal 6-16; N. Hines 4-10; Uiagalelei 1-(-1).
• Saints: Kendre Miller had 6 carries for 15 yards.

Receiving

• Saints: Mason Tipton caught the 54-yard TD; Velus Jones Jr. had four receptions for 16 yards; Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Kevin Austin each contributed multiple catches (occasional composite box notes list them as part of the Saints’ top-receiving group); Dalevon Campbell and others also featured in the tally.
• Chargers: Dalevon Campbell (3 receptions for a team-high 62 yards on some reports) plus a mix of complementary targets; Mason Tipton’s big play stood out on NO’s side.

Turnovers

• Interceptions: Eric Rogers (Chargers) with a beautiful fourth-quarter pick-6 on Jake Haener; Jake Haener threw an interception; Spencer Rattler was involved in sacks but not a turnover on his stat line beyond a takedown and distribution.

Notables

The Chargers defense produced the game-changing play with Rogers’ pick-6, complemented by the two-point conversion on Lance’s earlier TD drive and a steady, if uneven, offensive showing from LA’s depth chart.

Tipton’s 54-yard TD provided the Saints lone offensive strike in the second quarter; Shough engineered a late first-half field-goal sequence signaling real game-planning progression under center.

The key Takeaways:

• Chargers’ Eric Rogers: Suffers injury: Rogers exited Sunday’s preseason game against the Saints with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.Rogers limped off the field with the assistance of the team’s training staff, and it looked to be a lower-body issue. He’s never appeared in a regular-season NFL game.
• Chargers’ Deane Leonard: Suffers leg injury: Leonard exited Sunday’s preseason game against the Saints with an apparent leg injury and did not return, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.Leonard was helped off the field by the Chargers’ training staff after playing 21 defensive snaps. He’s in the mix to land one of the top reserve jobs in Los Angeles’ secondary, as long as his injury isn’t severe. Leonard appeared in 10 regular-season contests last season, and logged eight tackles (six solo) and three pass breakups.
• Chargers’ Tyler Conklin: Sees one target while starter rests: Conklin failed to haul in his only target in Sunday’s 27-13 preseason win over New Orleans. Conklin was the first tight end to see action with starter Will Dissly sitting out the Chargers’ second exhibition. The seven-year pro figures to assume the No. 2 role come Week 1, with Sunday’s playing time distribution all but confirming that. Conklin doesn’t offer much fantasy upside at this point of his career, especially in a backup role for his new squad.
• Chargers’ Hassan Haskins: Solid showing against Saints: Haskins took six carries for 33 yards while catching both of his targets for 12 yards in Sunday’s 27-13 preseason win over the Saints.Haskins wound up doubling fill-in starter Kimani Vidal’s rushing totals with the exact same amount of carries Sunday. Both players currently are competing for reserve roles behind projected starting options Najee Harris (eye) and Omarion Hampton. Haskins will look to build off of this solid performance when the Chargers take on the Rams in Saturday’s exhibition tilt.