What we learned from the Saints' loss to the Chargers | Saints

The New Orleans Saints lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 26-8 on Sunday in Inglewood, California.

Here are three things we learned from the game:

The crime was AWOL

The return of four offensive starters didn't help the offense as much as expected. The Saints struggled to move the chains and convert third downs against the Chargers' stingy defense.

The Saints converted just 2 of 16 third downs and punted eight times on their first 10 possessions. They only managed two field goals and failed to score a touchdown for the first time this season.

Things got so bad that head coach Dennis Allen replaced quarterback Spencer Rattler with Jake Haener late in the third quarter.

Rattler avoided turnovers and kept the Saints within striking distance, but he struggled to move the chains and get the offense into rhythm. He completed 12 of 24 passes for 156 yards, but managed just one scoring drive for a field goal in nine series.

In a defensive slugfest against a Chargers team that rarely makes mistakes, the Saints didn't ask Rattler to put up eye-popping numbers, but they did need to see more from him, especially after falling behind and in catch-up mode. He regularly held the ball in the pocket for too long and rushed other throws.

Haener wasn't exactly a hit, but he was much more decisive in the pocket and got the ball to his receivers quicker. He finished the game with nine completions on 17 attempts for 122 yards.

The Saints are expected to get veteran Derek Carr back next week, and that can't come soon enough for the offense, which has struggled greatly since his oblique ligament injury.

The defense responded

After consecutive subpar performances, the defense responded to the challenge and largely kept the Saints in the game. They played with energy and commitment for four quarters.

Granted, the unit had to compete against an offensively challenged Chargers attack that has struggled to score points all season, but the performance was a noticeable improvement from previous weeks. The Saints needed the defense to rise to the occasion, and the unit played well enough to keep the team in the contest into the fourth quarter.

The first seven were particularly impressive. They held the Chargers' running backs to just 73 yards on 25 carries and only allowed a running back to rush for more than 10 yards. Justin Herbert had the longest run of the game with a 38-yard scramble.

The final numbers won't show it, but this was an improved performance from the defense. They did their part and kept the team in the competition until midway through the fourth quarter.

The hole is frighteningly deep

The loss was the Saints' sixth in a row and dropped them to 2-6 on the season. They are now three games behind Atlanta (5-3) in the NFC South.

The six-game break represents the club's longest break in the last 24 seasons. In 2005, the Saints lost six games in a row.

If the Saints want to end their three-year postseason drought, they will have to defy history. Only three teams have suffered a six-game losing streak and still managed to advance to the postseason since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

If that wasn't discouraging enough, consider this: OSince the NFL merger in 1970, only three teams have started 2-6 and made the playoffs: Jacksonville in 2022, Washington in 2020 and Cincinnati in 1970.