Chargers' defense steps up in 27-13 preseason win against Saints

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Trey Lance scrambled for a 5-yard score and rookie Eric Rogers had a 43-yard pick-6 in a mostly sluggish offensive performance by the Los Angeles Chargers in a 27-13 exhibition win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

The Chargers had a goal-line stand and a strip-sack that led to a turnover while dominating the Saints, who committed seven penalties for 56 yards and got sacked five times.

“They just played with a lot of want-to and I’m thrilled with that,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “I love guys that play like they want to be on this team. They want to show that they belong. That’s the way they practice and that’s the way they go out and play in the game. That warms the cockles of the heart.”

Chargers rookie Jamaree Caldwell took down Tyler Shough for a 9-yard loss in the third quarter. Rogers also intercepted Jake Haener in the fourth before getting hurt with 1:43 remaining. Harbaugh had no update on Rogers afterward.

“The pick-6 he made, that was as a good a play as I’ve ever seen,” Harbaugh said.

Lance was 7 of 14 for 55 yards. He also was the Chargers' leading rusher with seven carries for 48 yards.

“Shout out to the defense once again,” Lance said. “Excited to build on this, this is a fun game to build on.”

Taylor Heinicke started at quarterback for the Chargers, going 1 of 5 for 8 yards. DJ Uiagalelei drew cheers with a 49-yard pass to Dalevon Campbell late in the game.

With a four-man quarterback competition, Spencer Rattler started for the Saints and was sacked twice by Caleb Murphy in the second.

“It’s what we practice at practice," Murphy said. "We practice ball disruption, we preach it, so it’s just everything that comes from practice onto the field in the game.”

Shough replaced Rattler and was intercepted by Rogers on a pass intended for Dante Pettis on the Saints' first possession of the third. Lance passed to Campbell for the 2-point conversion and a 17-3 lead.

Shough hit Mason Tipton for a 54-yard touchdown and Charlie Smyth made the extra point, leaving the Saints trailing 17-10. Shough was 15 of 22 for 165 yards.

“For all three, there’s going to be some good moments, some moments we’d like to have back, we get to learn from those," first-year Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “I thought Spence did some good stuff."

Cameron Dicker had field goals of 44 and 40 yards for the Chargers.

Coming off an 11-6 season and their first playoff appearance since 2022 in his first year, Harbaugh rested several starters including quarterback Justin Herbert.

The Chargers were without Rashawn Slater, who sustained a season-ending torn patella tendon in practice earlier in the week. Running back Najee Harris’ status for Week 1 is up in the air after he sustained an eye injury in a July 4 firework incident. He has been walking laps at practice, wearing a helmet with a visor.

The Chargers were the first team to open training camp and are playing an extra preseason game because they were in the Hall of Fame game, beating Detroit 34-7.

Moore made his head coaching debut for the Saints, having worked as offensive coordinator for Super Bowl champion Philadelphia last season. He served in the same role with the Chargers in 2023.

Brandon Staley was back at SoFi Stadium as defensive coordinator for the Saints. He was head coach of the Chargers from 2021-23.

Saints: C/G Will Clapp was hurt on the second play of the first quarter. He was taken off the field on a cart while sitting up with his right shoe off. ... WR Bub Means also had his right shoe off as he was carted off in the third. ... TE Mason Pline was hurt in the third.

Chargers: DB Deane Leonard was injured with 1:38 remaining in the second. He tried to get up and went right back down before walking off between two trainers. ... G Karsen Barnhart got hurt and walked off in the fourth.

The Saints host Jacksonville on Aug. 17.

The Chargers play the LA Rams on Aug. 16.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Trey Lance (5) runs for a first down past New Orleans Saints linebacker D'Marco Jackson (52) and cornerback Quincy Riley (29) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) throws under pressure from Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Kylan Guidry (59) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin- Oncea)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) runs against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) throws a pass during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Torrential rains and flooding have killed more than 100 people in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and authorities warned Friday that more severe weather was expected across several countries in southern Africa.

South Africa has reported at least 19 deaths in two of its northern provinces following heavy rains that began last month and led to severe flooding.

Tourists and staff members were evacuated this week by helicopter from flooded camps to other areas in the renowned Kruger National Park, which is closed to visitors while parts of it are inaccessible because of washed out roads and bridges, South Africa's national parks agency said.

In neighboring Mozambique, the Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction said 103 people had died in an unusually severe rainy season since late last year. Those deaths were from various causes including electrocution from lightning strikes, drowning in floods, infrastructure collapse caused by the severe weather and cholera, the institute said.

The worst flooding in Mozambique has been in the central and southern regions, where more than 200,000 people have been affected, thousands of homes have been damaged, while tens of thousands face evacuation, the World Food Program said.

Zimbabwe’s disaster management agency said that 70 people have died and more than 1,000 homes have been destroyed in heavy rains since the beginning of the year, while infrastructure including schools, roads and bridges collapsed.

Flooding has also hit the island nation of Madagascar off the coast of Africa as well as Malawi and Zambia. Authorities in Madagascar said 11 people died in floods since late November.

The United States' Famine Early Warning System said flooding was reported or expected in at least seven southern African nations, possibly due to the presence of the La Nina weather phenomenon that can bring heavy rains to parts of southeastern Africa.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited flood-stricken areas in the northern Limpopo province on Thursday and said that region had received around 400 millimeters (more than 15 inches) of rain in less than a week. He said that in one district he visited “there are 36 houses that have just been wiped away from the face of the Earth. Everything is gone ... the roofs, the walls, the fences, everything.”

The flooding occurred in the Limpopo and Mpumalanaga provinces in the north, and the South African Weather Service issued a red-level 10 alert for parts of the country for Friday, warning of more heavy rain and flooding that poses a threat to lives and could cause widespread infrastructure damage.

The huge Kruger wildlife park, which covers some 22,000 square kilometers (7,722 square miles) across the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, has been impacted by severe flooding and around 600 tourists and staff members have been evacuated from camps to high-lying areas in the park, Kruger National Park spokesperson Reynold Thakhuli said.

He couldn't immediately say how many people there were in the park, which has been closed to visitors after several rivers burst their banks and flooded camps, restaurants and other areas. The parks agency said precautions were being taken and no deaths or injuries had been reported at Kruger.

The South African army sent helicopters to rescue other people trapped on the roofs of their houses or in trees in northern parts of the country, it said. An army helicopter also rescued border post officers and police officers stranded at a flooded checkpoint on the South Africa-Zimbabwe border.

Southern Africa has experienced a series of extreme weather events in recent years, including devastating cyclones and a scorching drought that caused a food crisis in parts of a region that often suffers food shortages.

The World Food Program said more than 70,000 hectares (about 173,000 acres) of crops in Mozambique, including staples such as rice and corn, have been waterlogged in the current flooding, worsening food insecurity for thousands of small-scale farmers who rely on their harvests for food.

Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa. AP writers Charles Mangwiro in Maputo, Mozambique, and Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe, contributed to this report.

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

This image made from video shows the scene after flooding in Tete Province, Mozambique, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo)

This image made from video shows the scene after flooding in Tete Province, Mozambique, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo)

This image made from video shows the scene after flooding in Tete Province, Mozambique, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo)