The Chargers have now split their first two preseason contests after falling 22-17 to the Saints on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium.
Here is a recap of the Bolts second preseason game:
First Quarter
The Bolts won the toss and elected to receive but went three-and-out on the opening possession. The Chargers defense was aided by a holding call on the Saints that forced New Orleans into a third-and-long before tight coverage from Ja'Sir Taylor led to an incomplete pass. The Chargers and Saints then traded three-and-outs as a sack from Christopher Hinton on New Orleans' second drive led to a punt. But the Bolts went three-and-out for their third straight possession to open the game and punted it away again. Rookie Tuli Tuipulotu then made his presence felt on back-to-back plays with a tackle for loss and a pressure to force a punt. The Bolts then moved the sticks with passes to Keelan Doss (14 yards) and Quentin Johnston (16 yards) as the first quarter came to a close.
Browse through the top pregame photos of the Bolts prepping to take on the Saints at SoFi Stadium
Second Quarter
The Bolts moved into Saints territory and faced third-and-4 but Easton Stick was stripped on a sack. The Saints recovered in Chargers territory and hit a 27-yard pass before scoring on a 7-yard run. Down 7-0, Stick led the Chargers on a drive that stalled out in the red zone. Johnston had a 16-yard catch before Doss drew a pass interference flag that gained 31 yards. Dustin Hopkins then put the Chargers on the board with a 25-yard field goal to make the score 7-3. The Bolts defense then forced another three-and-out thanks to multiple New Orleans' penalties, but the offense went three-and-out on their own. Daiyan Henley and Carlo Kemp then split a sack to force another Saints punt, but Stick was intercepted on the ensuing drive as New Orleans took over at the Bolts 15-yard line. But the Bolts defense held firm in the red zone as they limited the Saints to a field goal. Stick then led the Chargers on a 2-minute drive into Saints territory. He hit Stone Smartt for 19 yards before finding John Hightower for 10 yards. Stick then ran for 21 yards before Isaiah Spiller darted up the middle for 18 yards to bring up first-and-goal from the 6-yard line. Stick then kept it himself and scampered in for a score before Cameron Dicker's extra point tied the game at 10. New Orleans added a field goal before halftime to make it 13-10 at the break.
Third Quarter
The Saints hit on a 53-yard pass on the first play of the second half to get deep in Chargers territory. But the Bolts defense held strong as they forced the Saints to settle for only a field goal on the drive. The Chargers quickly moved into Saints territory with a 23-yard pass to Doss but soon faced fourth-and-6 at the 40-yard line and turned the ball over on downs on an incomplete pass. New Orleans' ensuing drive stalled out before midfield as the Bolts took over on their own 17. But it was another three-and-out before the Saints took over and put together a drive that extended into Chargers territory as the third quarter came to a close.
Fourth Quarter
The Saints added to their lead with a 51-yard field goal in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. Stick then led the Chargers offense into Saints territory, where the unit faced fourth-and-3 at the 44, but the quarterback was sacked to end the drive. The Saints then added a 34-yard field goal to go up 22-10. An 18-yard run from Stick helped spark the Chargers next drive, and the quarterback used his legs to move the chains again with a 13-yard run on fourth-and-3 to get to the Saints 13-yard line. Stick then scored his second touchdown of the game with a 1-yard QB sneak. Hopkins' extra point made it 22-17 with 3 minutes and 52 second left in the fourth quarter.
The Bolts defense soon forced a three-and-out thanks to a pass breakup from Taiwan Mullen on third down. Stick and the Chargers took over at their own 40-yard line but the quarterback was sacked on back-to-back plays. That brought up fourth-and-23 as Stick connected with Terrell Bynum for a 39-yard gain down to the Saints 34. The Bolts then faced fourth-and-4 but Stick was intercepted near the goal line to end the threat. The Chargers fell 22-17.
