INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — With receiver Chris Olave, right guard Cesar Ruiz and do-everything playmaker Taysom Hill all returning from injury absences Sunday, the New Orleans Saints thought they might have enough offensive talent to avoid this team's longest losing streak in 19 years. But Derek Carr is still injured, and his two young replacements at quarterback couldn't do nearly enough to keep the Saints competitive in their 26-8 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers .
In fact, it's unclear whether even Carr's possible return next week could possibly fix enough of everything that ails the Saints (2-6) during a skid that has reached six games. “The message is it’s the people in the room in there that are going to have to change it,” embattled coach Dennis Allen said. “Nobody is coming from outside the building.
It’s going to have to be the guys that are in that locker room, the coaches, to fix it. That’s what it is, and we have to pay better attention to all the details, and we have to do a better job coaching all the details, because details matter in our league, and we don’t get to pick and choose which ones do and which ones don’t.” Allen changed quarterbacks during the game for the second straight week, but it had minimal impact.
Rookie Spencer Rattler went 12 of 24 for 156 yards in his third consecutive start for the Saints before Jake Haener replaced him with 4:50 left in the third quarter. The Saints trailed 16-5 when they went to Haener, who went 9 of 1.