If you’ve been waiting for a Ladd McConkey breakout game, it arrived on Sunday.
McConkey caught all six of his targets for 111 yards and two touchdowns, as the Chargers beat the Saints 26-8 on Sunday afternoon.
McConkey’s two touchdowns each came in the second half. He snagged a 60-yard pass from quarterback Justin Herbert midway through the third quarter to put Los Angeles up 16-5. Then McConkey put the game away with a slick catch in the end zone with 3:22 left in the fourth. The 9-yard TD gave the Chargers an 18-point lead.
A second-round pick in this year’s draft, it was the first time McConkey reached 100 yards and had a multi-touchdown game in his career.
Herbert also had a strong day, completing 20-of-32 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 49 yards on four carries, including a 38-yard run in the first half.
J.K. Dobbins led with 57 yards on 17 carries.
The Saints had a tough time getting anything going offensively, eventually replacing quarterback Spencer Rattler with Jake Haener in the second half. Rattler finished 12-of-24 for 156 yards and Haener 9-of-17 for 122 yards. Chris Olave led with eight catches for 107 yards. Alvin Kamara had 67 yards on 10 carries and six catches for 55 yards.
New Orleans opened the scoring when Los Angeles fumbled a bad punt snap out of the end zone for a safety. The club got two field goals from Blake Grupe, though he also missed a 44-yard field goal wide right in the second half.
With the win, the Chargers are now 4-3. They’ll be on the road to play the Browns in Week 9.
The Saints now have six straight losses for the first time since 2005 — predating the Sean Payton era with New Orleans. At 2-6, they’ll be on the road to face the Panthers next Sunday.
