WEMBLEY, England (AP) -San Diego’s late charge certainly made it interesting until the end, even if it came up short.
The Chargers, trailing by 17 points early in the fourth quarter, started to put on a stunning comeback Sunday before finally succumbing 37-32 to the New Orleans Saints at Wembley Stadium.
“I thought it was what the fans here wanted to see,” Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo said. “I thought they wanted a high-scoring game. I thought they wanted to see the ball being thrown. I thought they wanted to see amazing athletes making amazing plays, and that’s what they got.”
The Chargers were hanging in with the Saints for much of the game, and got within six points just before halftime at 23-17. But Drew Brees’ third touchdown pass and a 1-yard run from Mike Karney gave the Saints a commanding lead early in the fourth.
That’s when Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers really started hitting his mark, eventually finishing with 341 yards, two more than Brees.
ul onside kick, Rivers hit Vincent Jackson for a 14-yard touchdown pass to make it 37-30.
“(His) greatest strength to me is he’s a great competitor,” Chargers coach Norv Turner said of Rivers, Brees’ former backup in San Diego. “(The) mental toughness he has is an example for our entire team.”
With more than seven minutes still to play and trailing by only seven points, the Chargers kicked off and soon thought they got the ball back when Eric Weddle was at first credited with an interception. The replay, however, showed that he didn’t have possession when he – and the ball – hit the ground.
“I thought I had it. I had my hand underneath it,” Weddle said. “I guess it wasn’t a catch, so no play.”
The Saints eventually punted giving Rivers and his Chargers another chance. But Jonathan Vilma then intercepted a tipped pass.
Rivers’ made a final heave into the end zone with a second on the clock, but it was knocked to the ground after floating into a group of players jumping on the goal line.
And despite his three touchdown passes and entertaining week in Britain, the loss put a damper on the return home.
“The whole experience was a lot of fun, except the outcome of the game,” Rivers said. “It’s a tough one to swallow, and 3-5 with a 13-hour flight ahead of us doesn’t make it any better.”
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