The Bolts were competitive in all six games in their first year under Jim Harbaugh, but struggled in the second half. They took the lead 55-34 at the end of the first half.

Los Angeles also hasn’t scored in the fourth quarter in its last five games.

“There’s a lot of things we can fix and fix, but overall there’s a lot to look forward to,” said quarterback Justin Herbert, who passed for a season-high 349 yards against Arizona.

The next three weeks are crucial if the Chargers are to compete in the playoffs. After facing New Orleans, Los Angeles will play an away game against Cleveland (1-6) and then host Tennessee (1-5) on Nov. 10.

The Saints scored 91 points in their first two games, but have scored 86 points in their last five games.

It’s possible, but not certain, that Derek Carr will miss his third straight game on Sunday due to a Week 5 injury.

Coach Dennis Allen said he expects to start rookie QB Spencer Rattler, but did not rule out Carr starting the game after not practicing all week last season.

Allen said Carr “is in the process of improving his pitching.” “I don’t know if he’ll be ready for Sunday, but we’ll keep going throughout the week and see where we are.”

After a break of three matches in 11 days We lost 33-10 to Denver on October 17Saints arrive rested and hope to get a number of players back after a series of injuries.

“I think we’ve got a lot of talent. I think we’ve got a lot of talent and we’re capable of doing good things here. So losing five games in a row doesn’t feel good and we’ve got to turn it around,” running back Alvin Kamara said.

happy returns

Guard Cesar Ruiz, tight end Taysom Hill, winger Chris Olave and linebacker Pete Werner returned to Saints practice this week after each missing multiple games with various injuries.

Cornerback Marshon Lattimore also practiced after last week’s Saints loss to Denver with a hamstring injury.

Ruiz has missed four games since suffering a right knee injury in the Week 3 loss against Philadelphia.

Hill hasn’t played since leaving the Week 4 loss at Atlanta with a rib injury after scoring two TDs in the first half of the game.

Olave suffered a concussion in the first quarter of the Saints’ Week 6 loss to Tampa Bay and missed the Denver game entirely.

Werner missed three matches due to a hamstring injury sustained during training.

ground control

The Chargers rank ninth in the league in run defense, allowing 111.2 yards per game. But last Monday in Arizona, they gave up 181 yards and had 16 missed tackles.

Kamara brings another strong challenge to the defense this week. Not only does Kamara have 438 rushing yards, he also leads running backs in receptions (34) and is second in receiving yards (252).

Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter emphasized taking extra steps and using better angles to reduce missed tackles.

“There are some plays where you can say, ‘Hey, we can put this guy in the back and this guy in the back.’ You’ve got to be careful with him because they’re looking for matchups for him,” Minter said. “He runs downhill, he’s a great jump man and he does a great job of pressuring things up front and then cutting back.”

Kamara’s contract

The Saints put to rest questions about Kamara’s future in New Orleans by signing him to a $24.5 million extension that runs through the 2026 season.

Kamara wasn’t shy about saying during training camp that he was unhappy with his previous contract, which was structured to likely lead to his release after this season. However, he did not resist amid trade speculation and maintained that his preference was to spend his entire career in New Orleans.

“This city has remained loyal to me. The organization remained loyal to me,” Kamara said. “I don’t think I’ll get the same feeling I get when I apply fleur de lis anywhere else.”