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Manti Te'o, A.J. Klein lead punishing Saints defense in overwhelming performance against Chargers

The New Orleans Saints have been searching for an answer at middle linebacker ever since the team released Curtis Lofton after the 2014 season.

First-round pick Stephone Anthony mixed too many mental mistakes with his highlights. Aging veteran James Laurinaitis didn't have enough left in the tank.

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The two men the Saints signed this spring both had something to prove, and if Manti Te'o and A.J. Klein can play anywhere near the level they flashed in a 13-7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night, the Saints might finally have their answer.

With the win, New Orleans (1-1) snapped a 10-game losing streak in the preseason that dated to 2014.

Two games into the preseason, the starting unit for New Orleans has forced seven punts on seven drives and allowed just two first downs.

"It was encouraging, because it was kind of a challenge for us coming into this game," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "I thought we were opportunistic, I thought we played with injury."

First, the caveat: Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers did not play in the preseason game, allowing Klein, Te'o and the rest of the Saints defense to tee off on backup Kellen Clemens.

The flip side of the argument is that a quarterback can only do so much when the defense dominates the trenches.

Working without Drew Brees for the second straight game, the Saints' offense started fast behind a 50-yard touchdown run from Alvin Kamara, but the attack largely sputtered after that.

Klein and Te'o made sure it didn't matter. When the regular season starts, Klein and Te'o will often play together, with Te'o in the middle and Klein on the strong side, and Klein shifting into the middle in relief of Te'o in passing situations.

That tandem hit the Chargers like dynamite Sunday night.

Klein racked up five tackles, a half-sack, a quarterback hit and a tackle-for-loss while playing the first four series along with the rest of the Saints' defensive starters, and Te'o piled up eight tackles, three tackles-for-loss, a sack, a quarterback hit and a fumble recovery.

For Te'o, who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers in their old home in San Diego, the game represented an opportunity to play against his old team.

"Obviously, there's a little extra meaning to the game, but I was really happy with myself and how I handled it," Te'o said. "I think a young guy would come in here anxious and trying to do too much, and I kind of let the game come to me."

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