4. Jefferson ready to start again
Tony Jefferson turned back the clock on Monday night.
With Elijah Molden out with a hamstring injury, Jefferson made his first NFL start since 2019, which ironically enough came against the Chargers when he was with the Ravens.
The 33-year-old was a dynamic player, too, racking up five total tackles to go along with an interception and two passes defensed, part of an effort where the Bolts defenses deflected away 15 passes from Raiders quarterback Geno Smith.
“Anytime you can get a turnover, I’m happy help the team out,” Jefferson said. “Everybody was just plastering and forcing Geno to have to make a tough throw.”
Molden once again won’t play in Week 3 as he was ruled out on the Chargers-Broncos Injury Report.
Jefferson has stayed ready in recent weeks even though he didn’t make the Chargers initial 53-man roster despite a strong training camp and preseason.
The veteran said this week that a full belief in himself kept him confident that he’d eventually get a chance to play.
“I was just taking it week by week and any opportunity I got, I was just going to try and go out there and be me,” Jefferson said. “I felt like I had a pretty good offseason plus a good preseason, so getting cut and put on practice squad never really steered what I thought of myself or what I thought of the body of work that I put in.
“I just stayed confident in that and that’s usually what happens, it just works itself out,” Jefferson added.
The Chargers defense didn’t miss a beat Monday night, and Minter expects the same Sunday when the Broncos are in town.
“Elijah is such a commander back there, you don’t lose any of that when Tony is all of a sudden in there,” Minter said. “It’s unbelievable to have a guy like that and he went out there and played Tony Jefferson football.”
Harbaugh added: “He’s always in the right place … he studies, smart, is experienced. Willing to do anything and everything. A great leader. A long list of things I like about Tony Jefferson. A real football player.”
5. Clutch kickoff coverage
Looking for an underrated area to watch in Week 3?
Keep an eye on the Chargers kickoff coverage unit, which was stellar in Week 2 against the Raiders.
The Bolts smothered up the Raiders on four kickoff returns, stopping Las Vegas at the 24, 22 and 28-yard line on tackles. And a drawn holding call put the Raiders at their own 20.
Add it up and that meant an average drive start of the 23.5-yard line, well below the touchback mark of the 35.
“That’s four first downs saved by not allowing them to get to the 25 [on average]. That stood out greatly,” Harbaugh said. “Guys just playing hard, playing physical. The hustle, constant hustle, hustle at all times.
“That’s what I continue to like about our team,” Harbaugh added. “They go into these games with positive intentions and hustle at all times.”
Marlowe Wax made the first tackle in kickoff coverage before he teamed up with Murphy on the second tackle. Both players spoke this week about the instant impact they can have on the game in this area.
“It was definitely a big focus for us coming into the last game. Against the Chiefs, we felt like we could have done better,” Wax said. “It was just a big focus for us as a unit to go out there and get them inside the 25 or the 30.
“I give all props to Coach Fick [Special Teams Coordinator Ryan Ficken]. He just emphasizes how important special teams is and this is how the NFL is, it’s a changing game. It’s a big focus,” Wax later continued.
“You go out there and your kickoff coverage is good, you tackle inside the 25, it puts the offense that’s coming onto the field a little more weary and defenses get a little hyped up when they see us make plays like that,” Wax added.
Murphy said: “The guys in the special teams room, it’s a matter of want-to with those types of things. I think everybody in there wants it because it helps the team win.”
Denver currently ranks 13th in kickoff return average at 25.5 yards per attempt. Given how well the Chargers defense has played to start the season, pinning Denver deep in their own territory could help swing the momentum the Chargers way in what should be another tight AFC West battle on Sunday.
“The standard just rises every week, we’re trying to do better every single week,” Wax said. “Just keep putting things on film.”
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