The crowd gasped. shouted Justin Herbert.

The sight of the Chargers quarterback absorbing a bone-shaking blow while scrambling caused SoFi Stadium fans to hold their breath and nearby teammates to rush to his aid, but Herbert immediately jumped back to his feet, reaching for the ball in his right hand and shouted as he pointedly gestured down first.

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

The quarterback threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns to Ladd McConkey and rushed for another 49 yards, including a career-high 38-yard run in the second quarter that seemed to set the tone for an offense still struggling to find solid to find your footing.

“It’s like being around greats every day,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said of Herbert.

After failing to score a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals last Monday, the Chargers stumbled early by failing to score on their first three drives. An errant call on a punt gave the struggling Saints, who have lost six straight games, a two-point lead over a safety in the first quarter.

The Chargers had minus two yards of offense before Herbert dropped back and passed with 2:37 left in the first quarter. He scanned the field for open receivers and tucked the ball into his right arm as he ran down the right side of the line.

He surrounded Saints defensive lineman Khalen Saunders, blew past linebacker Willie Gay Jr. and lowered his shoulder as Saints safety Tyronn Mathieu launched the quarterback out of bounds.

Herbert turned onto his back as he punched the turf. Undeterred, Herbert bounced back to his feet, stared at the field and shouted.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) takes a big hit from Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“We all know he can run,” offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman said, “but not everyone respects that. So it’s good to see.”

Teammates continue Herbert’s competitive mentality. Safeties Alohi Gilman and Derwin James Jr. stood nearby on the sideline where Herbert was pushed out of bounds and they jumped at the quarterback to pump him up for his effort.

The energy continued for the defense that kept the Saints (2-6) out of the end zone.

Running back JK Dobbins pushed away four would-be tacklers, including 324-pound defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, during a tough run to end the third quarter that was “the hardest (13) yard run I think I’ve ever run have seen. guy making,” Harbaugh said.

Dobbins finished with 57 yards rushing on 17 carries and a touchdown in the second quarter that helped the Chargers go into halftime with a 9-5 lead.

Saints’ Khalen Saunders (50) slows down Chargers running back JK Dobbins by pulling on his jersey. Dobbins finished with 57 yards on the ground.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

McConkey extended the lead in the second half with contested catches on both of his touchdowns.

In the fourth quarter, Georgia’s second-round pick jumped, turned and tapped his toes near the end zone sideline before Saints safety Ugo Amadi had time to turn his head and deflect a pass to Herbert seen swaying as it rolled. left.

“You want to be at your best for him,” McConkey said of Herbert. “He struggled with injuries at the beginning of the year and is still there, so we just want to give everything for him because he gives everything for us.”

Herbert appeared to be well past the high ankle sprain he suffered in Week 2 when he sprinted down the field to catch up to McConkey on the rookie’s 60-yard third-quarter touchdown catch.

McConkey showed his deep threat ability to run short routes over the middle that he excelled at early in the season and had the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. With 111 yards and those two touchdowns on six catches, McConkey is the first Chargers rookie to record a 100-yard receiving game since Keenan Allen in 2013.

“To make sure he could line up anywhere inside or outside, we had a real baseball player on our hands,” Herbert said.

The Chargers scored a second-half touchdown for the first time since Week 1. The second half struggles were a major concern for an offense that Herbert said was still finding its identity this week.

“It’s all about finding a way to win, whether it’s through the air or on the ground,” Herbert said. “I thought we did a great job of weathering the storm, fighting, staying patient and making sure we were smart with the ball.”

Not everything Herbert did was smart. He admitted that when he rewatches film of his career-long rush this week, he will likely decide it would have been better to slide or go out of bounds.

“But if the team wakes up,” Herbert said, “I will do everything I can.”