The New Orleans Saints suffered another loss, adding up to their sixth in a row, losing 26-8 at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8. They now sit at 2-6, their first time starting with that record since 2005 (when they finished 3-13). This was a complete meltdown in the second half for the Saints, as the defense did everything they could for as long as they could, but the offense was completely unable to put anything worthwhile. Here are our six takeaways from this loss to the Chargers:

1. Despite being near healthy, the Saints still are not performing

The Saints got a significant portion of their injured players back for this game, with the exception of a select few. Regardless, it ended up resulting in a loss for them, and one that was not particularly close once the first half ended. They did not look poised, they were unable to score for most of the game, and they had little to no positive momentum sustained for more than a few plays. This is not a health issue, it is a coaching and team issue.

2. Darrion

Spencer Rattler had a 3 week audition, and in his finale, he was benched. Rattler has a large amount of arm talent, but he could use some work on touch. He also didn’t show great decisiveness. It was apparent once Haener came into the game. Rattler could clearly benefit from more time on the sideline to study the game.

3. The Saints made the right choice keeping Matthew Hayball

This was one of the best showings we have seen from Matthew Hayball so far in his short career, he was absolutely exceptional. He had nine punts for 437 yards (48.6 per punt), 5 of which landed inside the 20-yard line, 2 were touchbacks, and his longest was 59 yards (his longest through eight games). A great day for the Lou Hedley replacement, and seemingly the right choice ultimately in the long run.

4. Play calling was conservative early

Rattler held on to the ball often, but it also seemed like play calling was a bit conservative. New Orleans rarely attacked down the field, and it allowed the Chargers defense to remain condensed. There wasn’t any real fear of the big play. Instead, the offense was primarily predicated on short throws with the hope of run after the catch.

5. The secondary is falling apart rapidly

The run defense in this game was not perfect, but it was improved compared to prior weeks. The injury to Paulson Adebo and the in-game injury to Marshon Lattimore have killed the secondary pretty rapidly, as they are relying on rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alontae Taylor, and Ugo Amadi to hold down the fort. Ultimately this led to Ladd McConkey having a masterful performance with 6 receptions for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Joshua Palmer accruing 72 receiving yards on 2 receptions. An ugly performance all around.

6. Dennis Allen must go

The Saints have lost 6 games in a row and you have to wonder, when is it enough? At what point are the Saints going to make a change at head coach. The Saints don’t seem to be making any progress towards playing winning football. It’s going on three years of disappointment.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 6 takeaways from Saints' Week 8 loss to Chargers