One of my notes from Chargers offense vs. Saints defense 1-on-1s:
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"After winning only 1 of the first 16 reps, New Orleans defenders bounced back winning 8 of the final 14."— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) August 17, 2023
If you want your defense to be tested in joint practices, the Los Angeles Chargers are a good team to have on your schedule. They bring an elite young quarterback in Justin Herbert with a litany of weapons at wide receiver and running back, all of whom tested the New Orleans Saints defense on Thursday.
Early in the practice it looked as if the Chargers offense was set to get the best of day one. One on one drills between the wide receivers and defensive backs are normally slanted to the offense anyway. Halfway through one on one drills the Saints secondary flipped a switch and carried that momentum through the rest of the day.
Once practice moved into seven on seven and team portion, the Saints defense kept the Chargers mostly to throws underneath. Alontae Taylor had a good day, taking first team reps, and recorded a few pass breakups. Payton Turner also continued his strong camp with multiple sacks and run stops.
In the running game, Nephi Sewell and Marshon Lattimore combined to force a fumble which Lattimore returned for a touchdown. Rookie defensive end Isaiah Foskey would have had a sack on a play; the teams continued the play and it resulted in a D’Marco Jackson interceptions. Forcing turnovers has been a key for the Saints this offseason, and they’ve forced two in the preseason game and two more in the first day of joint practices.
