EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Tarheeb Still’s breakout two-interception performance last week in Atlanta not only got him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, it spotlighted a Los Angeles Chargers secondary that has exceeded expectations despite dealing with injuries most of the season.
Four of the five starters from the Sept. 8 opener against Las Vegas have missed time due to injuries, including two currently on injured reserve.
Cornerbacks Still and Cam Hart — both selected in the fifth round — have been quick studies, while safeties Elijah Molden and Marcus Maye — who weren’t on the roster during training camp — have also excelled.
Maye was claimed off waivers from Miami on Nov. 27 and picked off a pass in the end zone against the Falcons despite having only one practice with the Chargers.
The Chargers go into Sunday’s game at AFC West nemesis Kansas City still leading the league in scoring defense, allowing 15.7 points per game. Their 13 interceptions are tied for fourth and is their most through 12 games since picking off 15 in 2017.
They are ranked 10th against the pass, allowing 206.4 yards per game, and have the league’s third-best defensive passer rating at 80.6.
“I think (general manager) Joe (Hortiz) has done a great job bringing in players whose skill set fits what we do. Particularly, a couple of them were in similar systems, which helped in some of the quick transitions for Elijah and Marcus,” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “Some things kind of fell into place at the right time. Mostly, just credit to the players for their skill set.”
Molden, who was acquired from Tennessee for a 2026 seventh-round draft pick on Aug. 28, and Still are tied for the team lead with three interceptions apiece.
Molden also cited coming from a similar defensive scheme for easing the transition to the Chargers.
“We still have to get the language down, but we’re familiar with the goal of the defensive coordinator and what they’re trying to do. And then the coaches say to learn on our teammates to help you communicate and go play fast,” Molden said.
Molden and Maye will receive extended playing time again this week with Alohi Gilman on injured reserve due to a strained hamstring.
The secondary’s performance this season is also due to secondary coach Steve Clinkscale and safeties coach Chris O’Leary.
Clinkscale was with coach Jim Harbaugh and Minter for two seasons at Michigan before joining them with the Chargers. O’Leary, who spent seven seasons at Notre Dame, was a graduate assistant under Minter at Georgia State in 2015 and ’16 after playing at Indiana State when Minter was on the coaching staff.
After last Sunday’s four-interception game, Harbaugh eventually gave out game balls to Clinkscale and O’Leary. Harbaugh also lauded Clinkscale for how he has translated schemes so that the players can quickly pick it up.
“I feel like those two guys are under the radar and not getting a lot of credit. They’re doing a lot of things helping us,” safety Derwin James said. “It’s a lot of moving parts, and no matter who comes in here, they’re going to have them ready to play.”
Still — whose 61-yard pick-6 off Kirk Cousins in the third quarter gave the Chargers the lead — also gave a lot of credit to Clinkscale for his rapid development as a rookie. Still has started seven games with Asante Samuel Jr. on injured reserve for eight weeks due to a shoulder injury and Kristian Fulton battling various injuries throughout the season, which caused him to miss two games.
Hart started six straight games before being sidelined the last two weeks due to an ankle injury.
“He’s helped me a lot more than he even knows. He knows what guys can be, what guys can do, and how good we can be as a back end,” said Still about Clinkscale.
The secondary will face a tough test, though, in their second meeting with the Chiefs. Kansas City won the Week 4 matchup 17-10 as Xavier Worthy had a 54-yard touchdown catch on a bomb from Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce had seven receptions for 89 yards.
James — who will be matched up against Kelce — did not play in that game due to a one-game suspension for repeated unnecessary roughness penalties.
“They know we’ve got work to do. We had four interceptions in the past game, but I think we could have had two more if we would play things a little bit better,” Clinkscale said. “We want to play tighter in man coverage, so there’s room for a lot of growth, and we’re not even close to playing our best game. Last week was a good game to carry over our habits so we can continue to execute this week.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Joe Reedy, The Associated Press
