Tarheeb Still’s impressive two-interception performance last week in Atlanta not only earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors but also highlighted the strong performance of the Los Angeles Chargers secondary. This unit has outperformed expectations despite dealing with injuries throughout the season.
Four of the five starters from the season opener against Las Vegas on September 8 have missed time due to injuries, including two who are currently on injured reserve.
Cornerbacks Still and Cam Hart, both selected in the fifth round, have quickly adapted to their roles. Safeties Elijah Molden and Marcus Maye, who were not part of the team during training camp, have also played well.
Maye, who was claimed off waivers from Miami on November 27, intercepted a pass in the end zone against the Falcons despite only having one practice with the Chargers.
Heading into Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chargers are still leading the league in scoring defense, allowing only 15.7 points per game. They have 13 interceptions, tying them for fourth place in the league, marking their most interceptions through 12 games since 2017 when they had 15.
The Chargers are ranked 10th against the pass, giving up 206.4 yards per game, and have the league’s third-best defensive passer rating at 80.6.
Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter praised general manager Joe Hortiz for bringing in players who fit the team’s system, noting that some of them had experience in similar systems, which helped with their quick transitions. “Some things kind of fell into place at the right time. Mostly, just credit to the players for their skill set,” Minter said.
Molden, acquired from Tennessee for a 2026 seventh-round draft pick on August 28, and Still are tied for the team lead with three interceptions each.
Molden also said that coming from a similar defensive scheme helped him adjust to the Chargers quickly. “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 explained.
Molden and Maye will have more playing time this week with Alohi Gilman on injured reserve due to a strained hamstring.
The secondary’s success is also thanks to secondary coach Steve Clinkscale and safeties coach Chris O’Leary. Clinkscale worked with coach Jim Harbaugh and Minter for two seasons at Michigan before joining them with the Chargers. O’Leary, who spent seven years at Notre Dame, was a graduate assistant under Minter at Georgia State in 2015 and 2016 after playing at Indiana State when Minter was on the coaching staff.
After last Sunday’s four-interception game, Harbaugh gave game balls to both Clinkscale and O’Leary. Harbaugh also praised Clinkscale for how he has helped players quickly understand the schemes.
“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, who had a 61-yard pick-6 against Kirk Cousins in the third quarter, giving the Chargers the lead, also credited Clinkscale for helping him develop quickly 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 missing two games with various injuries.
Hart started six consecutive games before being sidelined for 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,” Still said about Clinkscale.
The secondary will face a tough challenge in their second matchup with the Chiefs. Kansas City won the first game 17-10, with Xavier Worthy catching a 54-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce making 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.”
