Saints charge back to stay in first place
NEW ORLEANS – The Saints looked dead on arrival, came back to life, flatlined again, then revived again to win 30-27 over the Chargers in overtime Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Wil Lutz kicked a 36-yard field goal with 5:08 to go in overtime for the final lead, and the Saints’ defense held on for the win. On 4th-and-6 from the Chargers’ 44-yard line, Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert completed a pass to wide receiver Mike Williams, but he was tackled short of the first down by cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
And it was over. The Saints (3-2) won their second straight game and 13th in a row in October, while the Chargers fell to 1-4 after leading by 20-3 in the second quarter.
It was Lattimore who gave up back-to-back completions to wide receiver Jalen Guyton for 49 yards and to Williams for a 4-yard TD that put the Chargers up 13-3 with 11:01 to go in the second quarter. The Chargers then went up by 17 just seven minutes later.
The Saints also trailed last week at Detroit 14-0 after a COVID-19 scare but won 35-29.
This come-from-behind win put New Orleans in a three-way tie for first in the NFC South with Tampa Bay and Carolina.
Los Angeles could have won it in regulation, but Michael Badgley missed a 50-yard field goal as time expired, sending the game into overtime at 27-27. Badgley also missed an extra point after the Chargers took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter that proved crucial.
“It’s a different flavor to every game, and tonight it was a dirty, dirty, dirty game,” said Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who caught eight passes for 74 yards and rushed 11 times for 45 yards. “We had to claw and scratch to come out on top.”