After sharing two joint practices and four preseason quarters, the Chargers and New Orleans Saints officially survived each other Saturday at StubHub Center.
Phillip Rivers continued to shine as he led the Chargers on a nine-play, 70 yard opening drive that took just over five minutes. Rivers was 6-7 and looked very sharp and decisive. It looked like the Chargers starting offense was in mid season form, playing like a well oiled machine. However that first quarter came and went pretty quickly and then it was a real disaster for the Chargers the rest of the night. Downright embarrassing. Thank god it is still preseason. Other than a nice interception by Derwin James, The Chargers defense basically did not show up.
The 17th player taken in this year’s draft, James has impressed the Chargers with his maturity, leadership and ability to operate from multiple spots on the field. He started at strong safety Saturday against New Orleans, with veteran Jahleel Addae at free safety. James ended the Saints’ first possession by intercepting Drew Brees.
The best news to come out of a embarrassing loss like this is the fact that the regulars officially ended their preseason — at least the regulars who are healthy.
Final score: Saints 36 Chargers 7
Derwin James is such a beast. No clue how he fell to the Chargers pic.twitter.com/5ZIhk5Gn50
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 26, 2018