Chargers @ Saints: Breaking It Down - First Quarter

Saints Offense First Drive (14 plays, 69 yards, 8:26, Field Goal)

• Deuce gets a nice run up the left side. Billy Miller and Lance Moore do a good job sealing up that left side.
  
• Brees did a good job of moving around in the pocket and avoiding a sack more than once.
  
• Deuce looked real solid on this drive. 4 runs for 24 yards and 2 catches for 20 yards. This is exactly the way I like to see the Saints start the game.
  
• Devery makes a heads up play rolling for the first down after a pass just shy of the line.
  
• A holding penalty by Matt Lehr pushes them 10 yards back and just kills the drive.
• Drew tries to thread the needle with a pass to Colston in the endzone. No dice. 
• Saints have to settle for a field goal.
  
• Take away the holding penalty and this drive probably ends in a touchdown. It's also a darn good example of how well this offense can play, particularly when they decide to use Deuce effectively. It also ate a lot of clock.

Saints Defense First Drive (7 plays, 51 yards, 3:04, Fieldgoal)

• Chargers start off with a bang on a 26 yard run by LT. Kendrick Clancy almost had him by the ankles but no luck. Kaesviharn also misses a diving attempt. Their offensive line gets good penetration and the left side is wide open.
• Antonio Gates is just too much man for Roman Harper. He makes a nice catch on a jump ball that Harper appears to have timed incorrectly.
  
• The run defense starts off looking very weak. They tighten up a bit at the end. It will be a long day if they continue playing like that.
• Aaron Glenn stays with Malcolm Floyd as he goes all the way across the middle. Nice work there. The pass is a little off but had he caught it, Glenn would have been there to make the quick tackle before the first down marker. Chargers settle for field goal.

Saints Offense Second Drive(3 plays, 7 yards, 1:36, Punt)

• Saints go three and out. Obviously this drive sucks.
• Brees throws incomplete to Lance Moore on first down. Looks like a comeback route that is timed wrong or a miscommunication on the route. Or it might have been an inability of Lance to cut back quick enough on the soggy field. Not sure.
  

Saints Defense Second Drive (3 plays, 9 yards, 1:46, Punt)

• The Saints defense answers with a three and out of their own. 
• LT breaks off two runs for 9 yards.
• On third down Sedrick Ellis gets through the middle and is able to make the tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Nice play. It looks like RG Mike Goff appears to almost slip and fall down. 

Fairly uneventful first quarter. The teams would switch to longer spikes on their shoes and the scoring would then commence.