Drew Brees, Saints Rally to Beat Chargers in OT Despite Justin Herbert's 4 TDs

The New Orleans Saints appear to be rounding into form.

The Saints, who were playing without star wide receiver Michael Thomas because of disciplinary reasons, won their second straight game with a 30-27 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Chargers in Monday's showdown at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Wil Lutz hit a field goal on the first possession of overtime, and Marshon Lattimore sealed the game by tackling Mike Williams a yard short of a first down on a fourth-down play.

Drew Brees and Emmanuel Sanders led the way for the Saints, who improved to 3-2 and move into a tie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers atop the NFC South.

As for the Chargers, a four-touchdown showing from Justin Herbert was not enough to prevent a fourth consecutive loss. They are 1-4 and well behind the 4-1 Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Notable Player Stats

• Drew Brees, QB, NO: 33-of-47 for 325 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• Alvin Kamara, RB, NO: 11 carries for 45 yards; 8 catches for 74 yards
• Emmanuel Sanders, WR, NO: 12 catches for 122 yards
• Justin Herbert, QB, LAC: 20-of-34 for 264 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs
• Mike Williams, WR, LAC: 5 catches for 109 yards, 2 TDs

Drew Brees' Late Charge Answers Questions About Saints Offense

Thomas has not played since Week 1, and his absence, which was previously injury related before the disciplinary issue, has put the Saints offense under the spotlight.

Scoring has not been the issue considering New Orleans entered play tied for fifth in the league in points per game (30.8), but there have been questions about Brees' ability to throw the ball downfield and an overreliance on Alvin Kamara.

It didn't look like those questions were going anywhere when New Orleans punted four times in the first half, settled for short underneath routes and fell behind 20-3 after Brees threw a terrible interception to Nasir Adderley, who ran it back to the 1-yard line to set up Herbert's third touchdown.

The Saints finally broke through in the final minute of the second quarter when Brees went over the top at the goal line for a rushing touchdown.

Brees and Sanders became the focal point of the offense as they picked apart Los Angeles' zone before Brees made one of his best throws of the season on a 41-yard strike to Jared Cook for a touchdown on 3rd-and-14 that helped tie the game at 20.

It was the exact type of deep ball that has been missing from Brees' arsenal for much of the year, and the quarterback continued erasing doubts in the final minutes when he marched the Saints down the field with the help of a fantastic catch by Kamara to set up Taysom Hill's overtime-forcing touchdown run.

Brees may no longer be in his prime at 41 years old, but the version on display in the second half Monday is more than capable of taking New Orleans to the playoffs.

Justin Herbert Dazzles Even in Defeat

Welcome to the NFL, rookie.

Herbert made the fourth start of his career Monday, and three of them have been against Brees, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady. He has been anything but intimidated by the spotlight, throwing for at least 290 yards in each of his first three starts and wasting no time making his presence felt in Monday's contest.

Herbert threw three touchdown passes in the first half. On the first, he eluded two defenders by scrambling and finding Keenan Allen—who was ruled out for the second half with a back injury—for 17 yards on a highlight-reel play.

The second one, which went to Williams, showed off his arm strength as he backpedalled and threw a dart through a tight window.

Some conservative play-calling allowed the Saints back into the game in the second half, but Herbert answered with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Williams on 3rd-and-10 with less than four minutes remaining to help give the Chargers a 27-20 lead.

After the Saints tied it, Herbert led the Chargers into field-goal range with another deep ball to Williams in the waning seconds of regulation.

The only problem is Michael Badgley missed a 50-yarder to win it.

What's Next?

Both teams are on a bye in Week 6. The Chargers host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7, while the Saints host the Panthers.