Chargers Rookie Ja'Sir Taylor makes a huge play in OT win over the Broncos
Monday Night Football was a slugfest last night. In a game like that, the question always comes down to - who can step up and make a play?
The man to do that was Los Angeles Chargers rookie defensive back Ja’Sir Taylor, who made an incredibly savvy play with five minutes remaining in overtime.
The 6th round pick in this year's draft, lined up as a gunner on the outside as the Chragers punted the ball with the score knotted up at 16 apiece. He beat his man on the outside at the line of scrimmage, sprinting towards Denver punt returner Montrell Washington, who was calling for a fair catch. Taylor was the first blue jersey down the field, and as he got to Washington, Broncos safety P.J. Locke found himself standing in between himself and Taylor. Taylor quickly thought to push Locke with two hands into his teammate, Washington, (a legal move), seconds before the return man could make the fair catch.
Chargers recover the fumble! #BoltUp
— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2022
📺: #DENvsLAC on ESPN
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/mKmqBgUsbz pic.twitter.com/qiT2odU7cY
This strong block knocked Locke into Washington, and he fell to the ground, unable to haul in the boot form LA punter JK Scott. The football deflected off of Washington, and the Chargers recovered the muff on the Broncos 29-yard line. Los Angeles went on to win the game four plays later on a Dustin Hopkins 35-yard field goal.
Head Coach Brandon Staley awarded "Ja" with the game ball for his game-changing play. Watch Staley's post game speech and a cool moment for Taylor in the clip below.
thank you lawd on three pic.twitter.com/opi5j8jLdq
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 18, 2022
Taylor (5-10, 185 lbs) was the 215th overall pick (6th round) in the 2022 NFL Draft. While Taylor has not seen a defensive snap this season, he's been a fixture on both returns and coverage for kickoffs and punts. He's been active on special teams in all six games, and has two tackles to his name this season.
The defensive back recorded 184 total tackles and six interceptions at Wake Forest over five years. He also made an impact on special teams, highlighted by a 99-yard kickoff return for a score against Old Dominion in Week 1 of last season.
The rookie truly rose to the occasion on Monday night to make an impact play. While the coaching staff doesn't seem to view him as ready for defensive snaps, he'll continue to be a key member of special teams for the Chargers (4-2) on Sunday against the Seahawks (3-3)
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Eliot is a contributing writer for Deacons Daily