The Los Angeles Chargers will face the New Orleans Saints Sunday in their second preseason game at StubHub Center, seeking improvement both on the field and at the gate.
The Chargers lost to Seattle, 48-17, last Sunday as second-string quarterback Kellen Clemens had two passes intercepted and lost a fumble, which the Seahawks converted into 17 points.
The loss was the Chargers worst in a preseason game since a 41-6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers concluded the 2013 preseason.
“Next week, I’ll guarantee you we’ll put a better foot forward,” Chargers tight Antonio Gates said last Sunday.
The announced attendance was 21,054, nearly 6,000 short of the 27,000 capacity at the NFL’s smallest stadium and less than the announced crowd of 25,667 for the Los Angeles Galaxy-New York City FC Major League Soccer game at StubHub Center one day earlier.
Attendance at NFL preseason games is typically lower than the regular season. The Chargers are sold out of season tickets and have a waiting list. A limited number of premium seats remain available.
The game is a matchup of the quarterbacks who have started all but one regular-season and postseason game for the Chargers since 2004, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers.
Brees was chosen by the Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft and became the starter in 2002, lost the job to Doug Flutie midway through the 2003 season, regained it five games later, started all but one regular-season game in 2004 and all 16 in 2005.
The Chargers acquired Rivers in a draft day trade with the New York Giants in 2004 and after Brees signed with New Orleans as a free agent in 2006 became the starter that season and has started every regular-season and post- season and postseason since then.
Two Saints receivers played high school football in Los Angeles County — De’Quan Hampton (Dominguez) and Michael Thomas (Taft). Thomas is a nephew of former USC and NFL star receiver Keyshawn Johnson.
–City News Service