The New Orleans Saints traveled to San Diego to take on the Chargers on Sunday in Week 4 of the NFL season, and here are three things we learned.
Once again, the San Diego Chargers could not hold onto a fourth quarter lead, as they dropped their third game of such variety this season. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, playing in from of the San Diego crowd for the first time since leaving after the 2005 season, led his team to the victory despite being down 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Three costly San Diego turnovers were the death nail for the Bolts, who are now 1-3 on the young season.
The game appeared to be all San Diego, as the Philip Rivers-led Chargers were the better team through three quarters. Everything changed in the final frame, as the Saints reeled off 14 straight to finish the game. The Saints will now head into their bye week after capturing that elusive first victory of the season.
The final score was 35-34 Saints, and here are three things we learned from Sunday’s action.
1. San Diego should be 4-0 this season
If games were only three quarters long, the San Diego Chargers would be 4-0 on the young season. During Week 1, the Bolts squandered a 24-3 lead, eventually losing in overtime to AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs.
After winning at home against Jacksonville in Week 2, San Diego once again blew a lead the following week, this time on the road against the Indianapolis Colts. All three games should have been victories for San Diego, but instead, they came into Sunday’s game 1-2.
Despite missing three huge components of their team in Keenan Allen, Danny Woodhead and Manti Te’o, the Chargers appeared to be the better team once again on Sunday. They moved the ball efficiently down the field, and held Drew Brees in check for most of the game. However, the Chargers did what they do best under coach Mike McCoy, and could not hold onto a late game lead.
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The AFC West is starting to get crowded at the top, as the Denver Broncos are undefeated, and the Oakland Raiders are 3-1. The Kansas City Chiefs came into their Sunday Night Football matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers at 2-1, but they are taking one on the chin, as the score is 29-0 at the half. San Diego could have been right there in the mix, but instead find themselves in the cellar.
2. Drew Brees and Philip Rivers still have it
Despite the late turnover by Philip Rivers, he has proven this season that he is still one of the best signal callers in the NFL. The same can be said for Drew Brees, who willed his team to a victory against the Chargers on Sunday. They both have had to overcome a handful of injuries already this season, and still know how to put points on the board with the best of them.
The problem for both quarterbacks is that their defense is very inconsistent. The New Orleans defensive unit came up huge when it counted on Sunday, but they have put the offense in tough situations all season. If both teams could get both units playing together, they would both be near the top of their divisions.
There is a very short window left for both quarterbacks, who at their age, should be towards the end of their careers. Brees has already won a ring for the Saints, but Rivers will probably go down as one of those quarterbacks who should have, but never won a ring. The bottom line is they are still fun to watch throw the ball around, and it was pretty cool seeing them go at one another this weekend.
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3. Melvin Gordon is legit
The talk around Melvin Gordon before the 2016 season was that he was a bust. After failing to score a touchdown during his rookie season, many San Diego Chargers fans were already calling for them to get a new running back. Danny Woodhead stole some of his touches, and it appeared that the Chargers would once again just throw the ball and see what happens.
However, Gordon has come into this season on fire, and is scoring touchdowns like he is picking up first downs. The second-year back scored two more touchdowns on Sunday, with both coming in tough short-yardage situations. He has the size and speed to make it in this league, and is showing why the Chargers spent a first round draft pick on him.
Rivers is always going to make things happen in the air, but when he has a solid running back, he can be so much better. The offense has already lost Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead, so the emergence of Gordon was necessary this season. He has emerged and then some, and the Chargers have their best running back since LaDainian Tomlinson.