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Week 8 Game Recap: San Diego Chargers 32, New Orleans Saints 37
What you need to know
| San Diego Chargers |
RB LaDainian Tomlinson looked the best he has all season. Right from the outset, he looked like he had his old burst back and it showed up in the statistics. With the team on a bye next week and two full weeks to recover, Tomlinson should be fully back to normal for the stretch run.
QB Philip Rivers played an exceptional game, just about duplicating the stats of opposing QB Drew Brees.
TE Antonio Gates put up his best stats of the season and finally looks to be 100% healthy. He was the guy Rivers looked to most frequently in key spots, much like he has in the past.
| New Orleans Saints |
QB Drew Brees continued his impressive campaign, putting up his sixth 300 yard game of the season to go along with three more scores - and made it look easy.
Despite the absence of RB Reggie Bush, the New Orleans offense didn't miss a beat out of the backfield. Deuce McAllister, Pierre Thomas, Aaron Stecker, and Mike Karney combined for 153 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
TE Jeremy Shockey and WR Marques Colston both played, but the team used a balanced approach. WR Lance Moore and TE Billy Miller were the primary beneficiaries of the approach.
What you ought to know
| QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 25 - 40 - 341 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 |
Statistically, Rivers matched his former teammate and mentor Drew Brees play for play. Rivers threw for just two fewer yards on one fewer pass than Brees, and matched his three touchdown passes. The touchdown passes were all very good throws, and he was given a lot of time by his linemen. He used that time to made good decisions on just about all of his passes, and appeared poised to tie the game up on a drive late in the fourth quarter. Realistically, Rivers needed to make just a few more plays. It was the one interception that proved too costly for the Chargers. Rivers led a comeback that nearly overcame the shoddy play of the defense. San Diego trailed 37-20 in the fourth quarter before two scoring drives cut it to 37-30. Rivers, facing a third and long situation, forced a poor pass into tight coverage to WR Chris Chambers, and had it intercepted by LB Jonathan Vilma off a deflection. He had one last-gasp Hail Mary pass attempt with one second left in the game, but it was batted down in the end zone by the defense.
Rivers' afternoon contained a few near-misses as well. The big comeback may not have been necessary had Vincent Jackson been able to come down with a long touchdown reception early in the second half. Rivers laid a perfect pass right in Jackson's hands that should have gone for a 72 yard touchdown, but Jackson allowed the ball to slip right through his grasp. The Chargers punted on the possession. Rivers later lost a seven yard touchdown pass to TE Brandon Manumaleuna when the play was negated due to a penalty. However, it should also be noted that if it weren't for the holding penalty Rivers wouldn't have had enough time to find Manumaleuna.
| RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 19 - 105 - 0, Rec: 5 - 65 - 1 (9 targets) |
From his very first carry of the game, Tomlinson looked to be a different runner than the one we've seen since Week 2. If you haven't traded for him already, it may be too late. He looked very good with the ball in his hands, and made all the moves we've grown accustomed to seeing him make. Perhaps most importantly, he never left the game at any point due to toe issues and he was in the lineup on all of the critical series. He was getting the yardage that the offensive line was opening up for him, and then some. On two occasions, he was hit for a minimal gain but spun out of tackles to pick up extra yards (one of those going for forty yards on a third down and one carry). On his touchdown reception, he caught the pass over the middle and quickly planted to avoid the tackle of LB Jonathan Vilma. He then scampered up the middle before falling into the end zone. It was definitely his best cut-back of the 2008 season to this point. On San Diego's next to last possession, he took a dump-off in the flat and quickly shot upfield for 32 yards, further evidence of his return to full health.
| RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 1 - 6 - 0, Rec: 3 - 45 - 0 (1 targets) |
With LaDainian Tomlinson looking as close to 100% as he has all season long, it was no surprise that Sproles saw just one carry in the game. He did record three receptions in the passing game on dump-offs over the middle, but his role is clearly that of backup and not complement, going forward. He also had an extremely costly fumble during a kick return, though that won't affect his role in that capacity going forward.
| WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 5 - 47 - 0 (9 targets) |
Chambers had a very quiet five receptions despite the volume of passes thrown his way. After one reception on one first half target, he was thrown to once on a deep route and once in the end zone early in the second half, though both fell incomplete. He was also the target of an ill-advised Philip Rivers pass late in the fourth quarter that was intercepted to all but end the game. Chambers was triple-covered on the play.
| WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 4 - 60 - 1 (7 targets) |
Jackson's performance over the last few weeks didn't do much to earn him very many extra looks in this game. He did put up sixty yards and a score, but his involvement was very irregular. He saw just two passes head his way in the first half. And in the second half, with San Diego throwing on nearly every play, he saw just five more during the furious comeback. His touchdown grab was a terrific effort along the sideline of the end zone when Jackson dove for the pass and managed to get both of his knees inbounds before falling over the sideline. He missed out on a huge play when a perfectly-thrown deep ball from Philip Rivers went right through his hands. He had beaten the defender and was wide open for what would've been a 72 yard touchdown on San Diego's first drive of the second half.
| WR Malcom Floyd, Rec: 1 - 21 - 0 (3 targets) |
Floyd caught just one pass, but it was a fantastic catch. He used all of his 6'5" frame to out-leap several defenders to make a great catch in a lot of traffic. With Chris Chambers back from injury, Floyd's opportunities will be reduced from this point forward. Still, with Craig Davis still out, Floyd appears to have carved out a niche as the team's third wide receiver option.
| TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 6 - 96 - 1 (7 targets) |
Gates really looked like himself for the first time this season. While most San Diego receivers had extremely quiet first halves, Gates had four receptions and a score before the end of the first half. He put up two more receptions in the second half, including a critical fourth down reception when San Diego was attempting to tie the game. The touchdown grab was a very nice grab along the sideline. He barely managed to keep his feet in on the play, but he was clearly in. That wasn't even his best catch of the game; his best catch would be the tremendous leaping snag late in the first quarter when he leaped high in the air and snatched the ball away from several defenders. The Saints looked unable to hang with Gates, who beat their defenders off the line and down the field at will. He appeared to be fully healthy, and looks poised to have a big second half now that he is back to form.
| TE Brandon Manumaleuna, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (3 targets) |
Manumaleuna caught just one pass, but what was noteworthy was that he had a five yard touchdown reception negated after a holding penalty was called. The play would not have gone for a score had it not been for the penalty, which gave Philip Rivers enough time to find Manumaleuna.
| PK Nate Kaeding 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points |
Kaeding connected on all three of his field goal attempts, the longest coming from just 33 yards out. Kaeding has now made 33 consecutive field goals from inside the 40 yard line. Also of note was a perfectly executed surprise onside kick. While that has little fantasy relevance, it's another positive result on his ledger for the afternoon.
| SD Rush Defense |
Early on, the Chargers did very little to stop Deuce McAllister and company. On most carries, the Saints were able to push the Chargers backward and pick up extra yards. And if the defense didn't get the push up front, they were pushed even further back by some nice wide receiver blocking downfield. As the game went on, it became a true shootout where both teams kept piling on the points. It got to the point where just about every play was a pass play, so even though the Chargers weren't doing much to stop the Saints they Saints kind of stopped running. Late in the game, owners of the San Diego defense caught a large break. With the Saints up by seven, HC Sean Payton opted to have Drew Brees run backwards into the end zone and throw the ball away for an intentional safety rather than punt the ball on fourth down. This not only gave the San Diego defense two extra points for the safety, but it also took 26 rushing yards away from New Orleans' stat line.
| SD Pass Defense |
As has been the case all season long, San Diego had absolutely no ability to get anywhere near the opposing quarterback. That lack of pressure, in turn, enabled Drew Brees to pick out which open receiver he wanted to throw to on just about every play. From beginning to end, Brees made every play he needed to make and made it look easy for New Orleans to drive for scores from any spot on the field. The San Diego defensive front got close to sacking Brees twice on the opening possession, but whiffed both times. After that, he almost would've needed to telescope to see them. The defensive backs were forced to cover the receivers for so long that eventually, everyone broke free at some point. To make matters worse, the coverage wasn't all that great at the start of the plays, either. They were beaten right off the line, deep downfield, on the sidelines -- pretty much every way a defense can be beaten, the Chargers were. Additionally, a pass interference penalty on Cletis Gordon helped set up a rushing touchdown (which won't necessarily be counted against the passing unit even though it should be).
Even their one big moment, a diving interception by S Eric Weddle, ended up getting overturned after officials determined the ball hit the ground. CB Quentin Jammer was shaken up late in the third quarter and left the game, but no update was given on his condition.
| QB Drew Brees, Pass: 30 - 41 - 339 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - -26 - 0 |
Brees played extremely well, but was also given a lot of help by his offensive line. He was nearly sacked twice on the opening drive, but that was the extent of any pass rush mustered by the Chargers. He was afforded tremendous protection, which gave him extra time on every pass to make the best decisions. Brees completed passes to eight different receivers (would have been nine had Pierre Thomas not lost a reception due to a penalty). He never locked onto one player, because he didn't need to. If the Chargers focused on one guy, the Saints simply threw it to someone else that was wide open. His day could've gone even better, but Lance Moore was tackled down at the one yard line following a reception (Deuce McAllister ran one in on the next play). And soon after, Brees badly misfired on a deep pass to Devery Henderson that should have gone for a 49 yard touchdown. Henderson had beaten his defender, but Brees underthrew him and it fell incomplete. That said, Brees caught a couple of breaks along the way as well. There was a ball that deflected off the hands of TE Billy Miller that was seemingly intercepted by Steve Gregory, but the play was ruled an incompletion. Later, S Eric Weddle jumped a route and came up with a diving interception. New Orleans challenged the call, however, and it was ruled that Weddle failed to maintain possession of the ball all the way to the ground.
About the only real negative on the afternoon for Brees was the unfortunate result of a strategic decision by HC Sean Payton. With the Saints leading by seven, Payton opted to have Brees take the snap and run the ball into the end zone before throwing it away for the intentional safety. Since Brees needed to throw the ball backwards, that made it a lateral and Brees was hit with a 26 yard rushing loss and a fumble on the play.
| RB Deuce McAllister, Rush: 18 - 55 - 1, Rec: 4 - 30 - 0 (4 targets) |
McAllister, filling in for injured Reggie Bush, performed well enough in the running game to help keep the pressure off QB Drew Brees. McAllister was also playing with the knowledge that he may soon be facing a suspension for possibly violating the league's performance enhancer policy. He saw regular action both on the ground and through the air, and caught a break when the Saints were stopped short of scoring on a third down pass play. Sean Payton opted to go for it on fourth and goal from the one yard line, and McAllister pushed his way in off the left tackle
| RB Aaron Stecker, Rush: 2 - 9 - 0, Rec: 5 - 27 - 0 (5 targets) |
Stecker saw regular work in the passing game, but was clearly nothing more than one of several backups to Deuce McAllister. He did see one reception in the red zone, taking a three yard pass to the five yard line before losing his footing and getting taken down.
| RB Pierre Thomas, Rush: 3 - 28 - 0 (1 targets) |
Thomas was a distant second option in the rushing game and was all but nonexistent in the passing game. His fantasy value is very tied to the health of Reggie Bush, but if Thomas is only going to get three touches even with Bush out of the lineup, it'll be tough for him to make a fantasy impact going forward.
| WR Lance Moore, Rec: 6 - 90 - 1 (10 targets) |
Despite a quiet second half (two targets), Moore was the big receiving threat for the Saints in this game. He was wrapped up right on the doorstep to the end zone on a second quarter reception, stopping him just short. Deuce McAllister scored on the next play. But Moore was able to get on the scoreboard later that very same quarter when he beat two San Diego defenders to haul in a diving touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. Despite the lack of action after halftime, Moore was still the most heavily-targeted wide receiver, with only TE Billy Miller seeing more passes head his way (6) in the second half.
| WR Devery Henderson, Rec: 3 - 34 - 1 (4 targets) |
Henderson's solid fantasy game could have been exceptional if Drew Brees had been able to put a little more air under a deep ball to him late in the second quarter. Henderson beat his man deep downfield for what should have been a 49 yard touchdown pass, but Brees underthrew the ball and it fell incomplete. Henderson wasn't thrown to again the rest of the game and was last seen limping off the field midway through the fourth quarter.
| WR Marques Colston, Rec: 2 - 56 - 0 (4 targets) |
Colston was surprisingly quiet in his second game back from injury. He caught just two passes, with one of them a quick slant that enabled him to turn upfield for a big 49 yard gain. He was targeted once in the end zone and was actually briefly open, but S Clinton Hart made a very nice play by tipping the ball away at the last moment.
| TE Billy Miller, Rec: 7 - 82 - 0 (11 targets) |
Miller became the latest in a long line of tight ends who have put up big numbers against the Chargers this season. While he didn't find the end zone, he was looked to on two of the most critical plays of the entire game. He was the target of a fourth down completion early in the third quarter, a drive that eventually led to a Mark Campbell touchdown. And he was also the target of a key third down conversion late in the fourth quarter. After the Chargers had seized the momentum and cut a 17 point lead down to just seven, the Saints faced a third down and five. Miller got open over the middle for a 15 yard pickup. The Saints eventually punted on the drive, but not before another two minutes had run off the clock.
| TE Mark Campbell, Rec: 2 - 14 - 1 (2 targets) |
Campbell was the recipient of a one yard touchdown off play-action but was quiet other than that.
| TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) |
It's tough to have a quieter game than Shockey had. He wasn't on the field all that much, only coming in to give Billy Miller a break. Shockey did not start in the game, and the other tight ends performed very well in his stead (9-96-1).
| PK Taylor Mehlhaff 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 5 XP, 7 points |
Clearly, the Saints haven't got much faith in Mehlhaff. After connecting on an easy 23 yard field goal on the team's opening possession, he banged an extra point off the left upright on the next score. Several possessions later, the Saints had an opportunity to kick a 31 yard field goal that would have put them up 26-17. Instead, they opted to go for it on fourth and two. They converted the play, and went on to score a touchdown on the drive.
| NO Rush Defense |
The Saints were the unfortunate recipients of LaDainian Tomlinson's first healthy performance in about two months. He was quick and elusive, and showed off many of his trademark moves en route to a 105 yard performance. Fortunately for New Orleans, they established a big lead heading into the fourth quarter and the Chargers were forced to throw the ball a lot. This kept Tomlinson from wearing them down in the run game, something that seemed inevitable at the outset when he was running wild.
| NO Pass Defense |
New Orleans defenders seemed to have a lot of trouble matching up with the size of the San Diego receivers. Both Malcolm Floyd and Antonio Gates made tough leaping catches in traffic when they were seemingly covered on the play. And both Gates and Vincent Jackson made nice catches in the end zone along the sideline on lob passes that were thrown over the top of the defense. They had a lot of trouble getting pressure on Philip Rivers, evidenced by their zero sacks. And they could have had an even worse stat line had it not been for Vincent Jackson dropping a sure 72 yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. But the Saints pass defense came up big when it mattered most. Using a three-man rush and dropping everyone else back into coverage, they had three players around the football intended for Chris Chambers on San Diego's last drive. The ball was deflected up in the air twice before settling into the waiting arms of LB Jonathan Vilma for an interception that essentially ended San Diego's hopes for a victory.