The return to the Los Angeles area didn’t go so well for the Chargers, who were humbled by Seattle in their debut at the quaint StubHub Center. They’ll get another crack in Week 2 of the preseason when former Charger Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints visit. Brees could make his preseason debut against the team that drafted him in 2001, though the club was based in San Diego at the time. Brees played five seasons with the Chargers before Philip Rivers came on board, forcing Brees to go elsewhere. He’s had a nice career with the Saints because of it.
The Week 2 preseason battle between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers will take place Sunday, August 20, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at StubHub Center. Watch the game live on the NFL Network.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
New Orleans Saints +3
Los Angeles Chargers -3
Over/Under 43
Odds Analysis
It’s hard to say the Chargers have a home field advantage since they’ve played one more game than the Saints on the StubHub pitch. Despite that oddsmakers are giving the Saints the standard field goal on the opening line. The Saints’ 10-game preseason losing streak might play into that number as well, even though the Chargers haven’t been much better.
Quarterback Rotation
The jobs of Drew Brees and Chase Daniel are secure and Sean Payton said he would keep a third quarterback on the roster if someone did enough to warrant it. So Garrett Grayson and Ryan Nassib will essentially be fighting for a job the remainder of the preseason.
Brees played at least one series in every preseason game last year, and after sitting the opener, we could see him for a few snaps on Sunday. After all, it is a homecoming of sorts for him. Brees was drafted by the Chargers and played several seasons with them before joining the Saints. Daniel played just two series against the Browns with Nassib and Grayson cleaning up. Grayson, a Saints draft pick, will get every chance to prove he belongs.
We’re not sure what type of strategy new coach Anthony Lynn will employ in his preseason use of quarterbacks. Philip Rivers played one series last week and was nearly perfect, completing 5 of 6 passes for 56 yards, finishing it off with a scoring pass. If Rivers does play on Sunday, it’ll only be for a series as the rest of the quarterbacks need some work.
Backup Kellen Clemens tossed two picks, lost a fumble and completed just 4 of 10 attempts. He did have a nice 74-yard touchdown pass, which accounted for three-fourths of his yardage. Cardale Jones joined the club a few weeks ago and hit on just 2 of 9 pass attempts against Seattle. He also ran twice for 18 yards. Marc Bercovici will see some reps as well.
Coaching History
It’s been a struggle for Sean Payton and the Saints in the preseason lately. We all know the exhibition season is meaningless, but the Saints would feel much better if they were able to win a game. Last week’s loss to Cleveland was their 10th straight in the preseason putting them at 0-10 ATS. Overall Payton is 21-26 in exhibition games.
Lynn will look for his first win as a head coach after the Chargers were blasted 48-17 last week by Seattle. Lynn was the interim head coach at Buffalo for the final game last season the Bills were beaten 30-10 by the New York Jets.
Free ATS Pick
The Chargers could use a victory to help win over a fan base in its new market. The move wasn’t popular, especially with the fans in San Diego, many of whom refused to make the short trip north to support the club. The L.A. market was apathetic about the new team after the Rams moved back home the season before.
Losing a few games in a row during the preseason is nothing to get alarmed about. But when the streak hits double figures, something has to be wrong. Even if you’re just using backups and working your way down the depth chart, so is the other team and by luck and averages you should get a win.
It hasn’t been that way for the Saints, who have lost 10 straight exhibition matchups. The skid started in 2014 and they’ve gone 7-9 in each of those three seasons. Who knows, maybe getting a few preseason wins will change the vibe once the regular season starts. And the law of averages says the Saints will get a win.
NFL Odds: Saints 24, Chargers 20
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