Here is a quarter-by-quarter recap of Sunday’s Chargers-Saints game at Qualcomm Stadium:
First quarter
Chargers 7, Saints 7
Key plays: Returning to Qualcomm Stadium for the first time as an opponent, Drew Brees was 4-of-6 for 54 yards on the opening drive, including two third-down completions. Brees had a chance to make it 14-0, but big defensive plays by Brandon Mebane and Jerry Attaochu forced a punt, and the Chargers capitalized with an easy 62-yard TD drive. The score came on a 20-yard from Philip Rivers to Hunter Henry for the rookie’s first NFL touchdown.
Key stat: Brees finished the quarter 7-of-9 for 71 yards. Rivers was 5-of-5 for 54 yards and a TD.
Not in the box score: Guard Orlando Franklin left the field during the Chargers’ second possession. There was no announcement on his injury and he returned for the point-after attempt.
Second quarter
Chargers 24, Saints 14
Key plays: Brees and Rivers traded TD es, the latter a 57-yarder to Dontrelle Inman, before the Chargers defense — yes, defense — turned around the game. First, a tipped by Jason Verrett and intercepted by Craig Mager set up Rivers at the Saints 41. The Chargers only got a field goal thanks to some dubious play calling, but on the Saints’ next possession, a penalty and a sack by Melvin Ingram forced a punt. The Chargers used almost all of the final 2½ minutes to drive for Melvin Gordon’s 1-yard TD run with 0:13 on the clock. The big play was Gordon fighting for a 12-yard gain on third-and-12.
Key stat: Rivers completed his first nine es and wound up the half 14-of-17 for 199 yards and two scores. Brees was 13-of-17 for 134 and a score, but also the one pick.
Not in the box score: An offside penalty against Nick Fairley nullified an interception by Rivers with 25 seconds left. But did Rivers know he had a free play when he threw the ball up for grabs?
Third quarter
Chargers 24, Saints 21
Key plays: The Chargers couldn’t even get a first down on their first two possessions (they had three penalties, though), and the Saints cut the deficit to 7 by driving 48 yards for a score. Brees completed a pair of third-down es to set up Jon Kuhn’s second TD. The Chargers finally moved the ball in the final 3:43, with Rivers converted third-down es to Dontrelle Inman (22 yards), Henry (7) and Tyrell Williams (11) to put the ball at the Saints 25 as the period ended.
Key stat: Rivers was 23-of-36 for 281 yards and two TDs through three periods. Brees was 17-of-26 for 168 yards with one score and one INT.
Not in the box score: The Chargers were running out of linebackers. Denzel Perryman and Jatavis Brown were both on the bench by the end of the period.
Fourth quarter
Saints 35, Chargers 34
Key plays: The Chargers closed out their third-quarter drive with Gordon’s second touchdown, another 1-yard run. The offense squandered another goal-to-go opportunity after Adrian Phillips’ interception, leaving the Saints within 13 points. Then, just when it appeared Sean Payton had surrendered, punting with 7 minutes left, Gordon lost his first fumble of the season at the Saints 13. On fourth down, Brees ed 5 yards to Michael Thomas for a TD with 4:50 left. Then, incredibly, Travis Benjamin fumbled without being hit, leading to a go-ahead TD just inside the 2-minute warning.
Key stat: The Chargers have blown huge leads in three of their four losses. They’ve lost too many close games in last two years to even count.
Not in the box score: Another quarter, another injury to a linebacker. This time it was Nick Dzubnar being helped off the field, leaving Joshua Perry and Brown, who came back in.
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