Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey shine in Chargers’ win over Saints

The crowd gasped. Justin Herbert yelled.

The sight of the Chargers quarterback absorbing a bone-shaking hit while scrambling made fans at SoFi Stadium hold their breath and nearby teammates rush to his aid, but Herbert popped right back up to his feet, extended the ball in his right hand and shouted as he emphatically signaled first down.

Herbert used both his arm and his legs to guide the Chargers in the right direction Sunday in a 26-8 win over the New Orleans Saints.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert scrambles for a 38-yard gain during the first half of a 26-8 win over the Saints on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

� Chargers 26, Saints 8 — FINAL

Justin Herbert connected on a pair of second-half touchdown passes with rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey to help lift the Chargers to an important victory that moves them past the .500 mark.

Herbert completed 20 of 32 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns. His first scoring pass to McConkey came on a 60-yard reception in the third quarter before he found him again on a nine-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter.

McConkey made six catches for 111 yards.

The Chargers’ defense played its part, sacking Saints quarterbacks five times.

Rookie Spencer Rattler started at quarterback for the Saints, but struggled and was replaced in the third quarter by Jake Haener. Rattler completed 12 of 24 passes for 156 yards and Haener completed nine of 17 passes for 122 yards.

The Chargers (4-3) next play at Cleveland on Nov. 3. The Saints (2-6) suffer their sixth consecutive loss heading into their game against Carolina next week.

� Chargers 26, Saints 8 — 3:22 left in the fourth quarter

Justin Herbert connected on a nine-yard touchdown to wide receiver Ladd McConkey to extend the Chargers’ lead late in the fourth quarter.

Herbert managed to escape pressure outside the pocket, and McConkey did his part by achieving separation to make the grab near the back of the end zone. It was the second touchdown catch this afternoon for McConkey, who scored on a 60-yard pass in the third quarter.

Jalen Reagor made a spectacular effort to stay in bounds on a 24-yard catch off an equally impressive throw by Herbert to keep the eventual, nine-play, 66-yard drive moving.

� Chargers 19, Saints 8 — 6:45 left in the fourth quarter

Blake Grupe missed a 44-yard field-goal attempt, kicking it wide right to frustrate New Orleans’ efforts to mount a fourth-quarter comeback. It ended Grupe’s streak of 19 consecutive field goals.

The missed field-goal try came after the Saints took advantage of good field position coupled with a 28-yard pass from quarterback Jake Haener to wide receiver Chris Olave.

On the previous possession, Justin Herbert was nearly sacked in the end zone for a safety, but managed to get rid of the ball just before he went down.

� Chargers 19, Saints 8 — 11:55 left in the fourth quarter

Cameron Dicker kicked a 29-yard field goal to extend the Chargers’ lead early in the fourth quarter.

Joshua Palmer made a 45-yard catch to move the Chargers into the red zone and fuel a seven-play, 54-yard drive.

� Chargers 16, Saints 8 — 1:05 left in the third quarter

Saints kicker Blake Grupe made a 43-yard field goal to cut into the Chargers’ lead after New Orleans made a change at quarterback.

Backup Jake Haener took over under center late in the third quarter with rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler proving mostly ineffective against the Chargers’ defense.

A 24-yard run by Alvin Kamara helped fuel the eight-play, 45-yard drive.

After the drive, Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa, playing in his first game coming off a hip injury, appeared to be in pain as he took a knee on the sideline.

� Chargers 16, Saints 5 — 8:48 left in the third quarter

Ladd McConkey’s fifth catch of the game was a memorable one.

The rookie wide receiver scored on a 60-yard touchdown reception, breaking tight coverage from Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor before weaving his way to the end zone. Taylor tried to intercept the pass by jumping in front of McConkey, but in doing soon, left McConkey open to make the catch and run.

From there, McConkey deked past Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu before slipping a diving tackle from a diving Taylor to sprint into the end zone.

McConkey has five catches for 102 yards, with his touchdown being the Chargers’ first second-half trek to the end zone since Week 1.

Justin Herbert has completed 12 of 21 passes for 167 yards.

� Chargers 9, Saints 5 — 9:36 left in the third quarter

Joshua Palmer caught a 27-yard pass to open the Chargers’ first possession of the second half, but a short run by Kimani Vidal followed by two incompletions by Justin Herbert led to another punt.

The Chargers’ defense continues to stifle the Saints’ running game while making life difficult for Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, who has been sacked three times.

The Saints have already punted twice in the third quarter.

� Chargers 9, Saints 5 — HALFTIME

Saints kicker Blake Grupe made a 40-yard field goal attempt with five seconds left in the first half to cut into the Chargers’ lead.

A 22-yard catch by tight end Juwan Johnson set up the field goal that capped a nine-play, 48-yard drive by the Saints.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has completed 10 of 17 passes for 80 yards. He also has rushed for a team-best 49 yards. Chargers rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey has made four catches for 42 yards.

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler has completed 10 of 17 passes for 138 yards.

� Chargers 9, Saints 2 — 1:37 left in the second quarter

The Chargers’ nearly eight-quarter touchdown shutout streak is over.

J.K. Dobbins scored on a one-yard touchdown run to extend the Chargers’ lead late in the second quarter, capping a 15-play, 90-yard drive.

Shockingly, Cameron Dicker missed the extra-point attempt, hooking his kick wide left.

Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore was called for pass interference on Simi Fehoko just outside the end zone, pushing the Chargers 17 yards to the Saints’ three-yard line.

During the drive, there was a nasty moment when Saints defensive tackle made a very late hit on Herbert, prompting Chargers offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman to shove Shepherd away.

� Chargers 3, Saints 2 — 9:04 left in the second quarter

Saints running back Alvin Kamara picked up 37 yards on a catch-and-run, benefiting from having two blockers ahead of him as he sprinted into Chargers territory.

But the Chargers made sure the Saints went no further, with a near interception from Elijah Molden coupled with a Saints penalty and a bizarre short throw on third and 20 by rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler leading to another New Orleans drive fizzling.

� Chargers 3, Saints 2 — 14:55 left in the second quarter

On the first play of the second quarter, Cameron Dicker kicked a 46-yard field goal to give the Chargers a one-point lead.

Justin Herbert spearheaded the Chargers’ first trek into Saints territory with a crowd-rousing 38-yard scramble that ended with Herbert jumping up immediately and emphatically signaling first down. It was the longest run of Herbert’s NFL career.

Jalen Reagor then picked up 11 yards on a catch-and-run for back-to-back first downs.

The six-play, 56-yard drive soon sputtered, though, leading to the field goal.

� Saints 2, Chargers 0 — 4:59 left in the first quarter

It has been a frustrating start for the Chargers.

Their third possession came to a halt when tight end Will Dissly dropped a perfect pass from Justin Herbert as he sprinted in front of coverage in what would have been a huge gain. On the next play, Saints safety Ugo Amadi sacked Herbert, leading to another Chargers punt.

� Saints 2, Chargers 0 — 10:20 left in the first quarter

A botched snap on a Chargers punt led to the ball bouncing into the end zone and out of bounds for a Saints safety.

Chargers punter JK Scott couldn’t corral a bad snap from Josh Harris that shot off Scott’s hands to his right in a clear miscommunication between the two. Scott gave chase in vain and couldn’t corral the ball.

Willie Gay nearly recovered the ball in the end zone for a would-be Saints touchdown, but Hassan Haskins batted it out of bounds to limit the damage to a safety.

It has been a sloppy start for a Chargers team that needs a win after dropping three of their last four games. The Saints are also in desperate need of a win after losing their last five.

� Saints 0, Chargers 0 — 11:15 left in the first quarter

The Chargers’ first possession achieved nothing other than Justin Herbert connecting with Jalen Reagor on a 22-yard pass to open the game.

Luckily, the Saints didn’t do much on their first possession outside of a 23-yard run by Alvin Kamara.

Here are the players who won’t be suiting up for the Chargers and Saints on Sunday at SoFi Stadium:

While the Chargers were warming up in Denver last Sunday, Jim Harbaugh felt his heart racing. He knew that feeling, having experienced it as a player in 1999 and as an NFL head coach 13 years later.

The two previous episodes led to medical procedures on his heart. His third bout, which began to surface the Saturday night before the Broncos game, had the Chargers coach dipping into the blue medical tent and eventually heading to the visitors’ locker room for an EKG to check his heart and an IV to replenish his fluids.

At 60, the sinewy Harbaugh is as fit as any head coach in the game, and his heart issues — diagnosed as atrial flutter — are not indisputably attributable to the stress of the game.

Eyebrows raise. Eyes dart back and forth. Heads cock to the side.

When Jim Harbaugh starts talking, Chargers players never quite know how to react.

“It’s like a really fun wild roller coaster,� quarterback Taylor Heinicke said, “that comes with a cool ending.�

Unexpected, unorthodox and unquestionably unique, Harbaugh’s growing phrasebook has set a quirky yet firm foundation for the new Chargers era.

GLENDALE, Ariz. â€”  With kicker Cameron Dicker as their only source of points, the Chargers lost 17-15 to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday in State Farm Stadium.

Here’s what we learned from the game:

Chargers need all hands on deck

The receivers were the Chargers’ biggest concern entering the season. They’re still the biggest concern approaching the mid-way point.

Down top pass-catching options Monday in Quentin Johnston (ankle), Derius Davis (hamstring), D.J. Chark Jr. (groin), the Chargers turned tight end Will Dissly into a leading receiver. The tight end who is more known for his run-blocking ability was targeted 11 times, finishing with a career-high eight catches for 81 yards.

Five stars here. Three over there. And two more next door.

This isn’t the Hollywood Walk of Fame but the locker room at the Chargers’ practice facility. Above every locker stall is a placard that’s adorned with a name, number and college alma mater, but also the player’s high school and rank as a recruit.

For instance, quarterback Justin Herbert was a 3-Star prospect out of Sheldon High in Eugene, Ore.

Safety Derwin James Jr. was even more decorated, a 5-Star recruit out of Haines City High in the heart of Florida.

The Chargers have not scored a second-half touchdown since Week 1. Last week they rushed for 59 yards against an Arizona defense that was giving up 153 yards per game on the ground. They failed to protect a one-point lead on the final possession, giving up a game-winning field goal as time expired.

Although a chorus of concerns arose after the team’s 17-15 loss on “Monday Night Football,� Jim Harbaugh is singing a different tune.

“You could be singing with the choir with the ‘would have, could have and should have. If this, if that,’� the Chargers coach said Wednesday. “But it took watching [the tape] three, four times, all sides of the ball, to turn the hymn book to ‘we were better.’ We were better. We got better.�

GLENDALE, Ariz.  â€”  Should Mike Williams run a comeback pattern?

The Chargers could sure use him now, as they’re painfully low on players who can strike fear in a defense.

That was evident in their 17-15 loss to Arizona on Monday night, when they subsisted on five field goals from Cameron Dicker and consistently came up short in the red zone.

Chargers outside linebacker Joey Bosa (hip) is questionable for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, but the star edge rusher said Friday he is “definitely� going to play.

Bosa hasn’t played since getting injured on the first play against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 22, battling through some of “the worst pain I’ve ever dealt with.� A glute strain began affecting his sciatic nerve and the pain left Bosa unable to do anything except lie on an exercise ball in the fetal position for hours.

While the Chargers (3-3) are trying to recover from another deflating defeat on a short week, the New Orleans Saints will be well-rested and trying to snap a five-game losing streak.

The Saints (2-5) have had more than a week to regroup after scoring a season-low 10 points in 23-point loss to the Denver Broncos on Oct. 17.

Not only does rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler have extra time to prepare for his third start in place of injured veteran Derek Carr (oblique), but also the break afforded receiver Chris Olave (concussion) and do-it-all tight end Taysom Hill (rib) opportunities to return to practice.