Saints vs Chargers Preseason Preview: Tyler Shough’s QB Battle and Betting Odds for Sunday’s Showdown
This is going to be an interesting season for the New Orleans Saints. And we don’t say that because we expect that they’ll be in the running for a playoff spot either.
We say it because there’s going to be an opportunity to shape their future. This starts in the preseason, as Tyler Shough comes in and tries to take control of the quarterback job. Is he the QB of the future? Is he even the QB of the present?
He has a fight on his hands in training camp, and we’ll see how he performs in the preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, in a game scheduled for 4:05 PM ET on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
NFL Preseason betting odds on the Saints vs. Chargers
The game is listed as a toss-up, according to the people at BetUS:
New Orleans Saints pick -110
Los Angeles Chargers pick -110
Over 36 Points -110
Under 36 Points -110
Would you like to keep betting, even after the game has kicked off? Go to BetUS and click on “Live Betting” at the top of the sportsbook interface!
The Saints at quarterback
New Orleans had been expecting Derek Carr to come back as their signal-caller, but injury problems caused the veteran to announce his retirement, which left this team in a quandary.
They were going to have to sign a free agent, or make a move in the draft. Having failed to do the former, they opted to approach the situation in the draft, taking Tyler Shough of Louisville in the second round. Shough (pronounced “Shuck”) was part of college football for seven years, mostly because of injuries. And he had gone from Oregon (where he was Justin Herbert’s backup) to Texas Tech to Louisville.
The Saints drafted him in the hope that, at age 25, he was mature enough to challenge successfully for the job. But he has competition; Spencer Rattler, who was, at one time, the starter at Oklahoma ahead of Caleb Williams, got six starts for the Saints last year. And then there’s Jake Haener, a Fresno State product who completed 46% in limited action in 2024.
Kellen Moore, a former NFL quarterback who was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator last year, is the first-year head coach, and he has not designated a starter for the regular season or even (at this writing) Sunday’s preseason contest. You get the feeling that the Saints’ management would like to see their second-round decision justified. But Rattler has been getting the chance to take first-team snaps in practices.
At BetUS, the Saints are 30-1 (+3000) to go winless. If that, or something close to it, happens, that’s going to leave the Saints with some options.
One of them, of course, is Arch Manning, part of the famous quarterbacking family, who is looked upon as a potential #1 overall pick as he starts the season with the Texas Longhorns. Another possibility is Garrett Nussmeier, the quarterback at LSU, also considered a contender to go #1, who happens to be the son of Saints’ offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.
So in this game there’s a lot at stake.
The Chargers at quarterback
The starter for Jim Harbaugh’s team is going to be Justin Herbert. There’s no controversy there. But there is going to be a lively competition to be the backup.
Trey Lance got the chance to start the Hall of Fame Game last week and he got the job done, completing 13 of 20 for 120 yards and two TD’s in a 34-7 victory over Detroit.
Because the Chargers are not expected to carry more than two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, it’s important for Lance to put pressure on Taylor Heinicke, who has found work as a backup in this league for a long time and has 29 career starts under his belt.
The noted analyst and commentator Albert Breer, who writes for Sports Illustrated, says Lanced is in a pretty good position here.
“At the very least, he’s with a coaching staff, with Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman, that’ll know how to get the most out of him and bring him along,” he wrote.
There’s some risk with letting Heinicke go, because at least with him you know what you have. Lance is largely unproven. But he has more upside.
There’s also rookie DJ Uiagalelei in th mix. And he may be a winner out of this, because he could wind up on the practice squad, which is better than being cut.
Prediction – New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers
We know we’ll get a top effort out of whoever the Saints are using behind center. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be sharp. The Chargers’ backups are fighting for their NFL lives too, and that will get them moving. The Bolts have had one trip around the track already, so to speak. That should count for something. These guys came out determined to put forth a crisp effort last week and they should do the same here.
So we’ll take the Chargers in the Sunday afternoon encounter.
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