COSTA MESA — The Chargers raved about cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.’s instincts when they drafted him with their second-round pick in April.
Samuel displayed those skills last week when he noticed Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott preparing to throw to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Samuel was defending wide receiver Amari Cooper, but he stopped to be in the right place for Prescott’s overthrown ball.
The Florida State product’s awareness helped him record his first career regular-season interception, but his football skills didn’t kick in after the memorable play.
Samuel said he forgot to save the football because he “kinda blacked out” from excitement.
“I lost it on the sideline,” Samuel said about his intercepted football. “I was hoping I could get it back. I don’t know where it’s at. … I don’t even know what happened.”
At 21 years, 351 days of age, Samuel is the youngest Chargers player in the past 25 years to intercept a pass. Samuel probably isn’t too disappointed about not keeping his first interception because he expects to make many more big plays.
But Samuel’s instincts aren’t just about creating takeaways. He’s excelling in coverage with an opponent passer rating of 46.3, the best among rookie cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Samuel allowed a few completions early during the 20-17 loss to the Cowboys, but he made adjustments to help contain Lamb and Cooper, two of the best wide receivers in the NFL. In Week 1, Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke threw his first two passes in Samuel’s direction to test the rookie. Both passes were incomplete.
“From Day 1, when he came in here, nothing seemed too big for him at all,” Chargers defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill said. “It didn’t matter if he was going against (Chargers wide receiver) Keenan (Allen) in practice, or the guys he faced last week.
“I think he’s shown growth and I think he learns fast. It’s one of those situations where you tell him one time and he gets it. He’s moving on and he’s applying it to his game. I think that’s what helps him so much. He can see in coverages as well. He’s built for it, he’s not afraid of the moment.”
Samuel has eight tackles, three passes defended and an interception in his first two regular-season games. He also won the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week for Week 2, a poll voted on by fans.
“It’s definitely a blessing,” Samuel said. “I want to thank my family, my friends, my fans and Bolt Nation for helping me get the award. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
The Chargers are going to need another award-winning effort from Samuel if they hope to contain the Kansas City Chiefs’ speedy playmakers on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
BOSA QUESTIONABLE
Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game after missing every practice this week.
Bosa said Monday he rolled his ankle against the Cowboys, but he added that it was mainly soreness. Chargers coach Brandon Staley said Bosa’s injury improved throughout the week.
“It responded well,” Staley said Friday. “It is football stuff. It’s not anything serious or long term, but it’s sore for sure. It’s definitely loosened up as the week has gone on. Today, he did even more than yesterday. We’re just trying to be careful.”
Defensive tackle Justin Jones (calf) was listed as doubtful and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. was ruled out. Both defensive starters missed last week’s game.
Jones missed every practice this week, but Staley expressed optimism about him and Bosa playing in Kansas City, despite not practicing.
“Both guys are really improving,” Staley said. “Those guys have played a lot of football in the league and they’ve been awesome with the game plan. We’ve been able to get them out there in walkthroughs. … The walkthroughs matter a lot for us, so that gives them the chance to maybe not practice during the week and then still have a chance to play in the ballgame.”
The Chiefs rebuilt their offensive line with the additions of left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and left guard Joe Thuney.
The Chargers are going to need Bosa and Jones if they want to make life difficult for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
DEFENDING THE CHIEFS’ SPEED
The Chargers are aware of the speed the Chiefs have on offense, and they’re not overlooking the challenges some of those same players present on special teams.
Speedy wideouts Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle return kicks and punts, respectively, for the Chiefs. They also round out their complete special teams with kicker Harrison Butker, one of the best in the NFL at his position.
Last week, the Chargers lost on a game-winning 56-yard field from Cowboys kicker Greg Zuerlein.
“This team can really run,” Staley said. “They’ve organized their team to have a lot of team speed. They have really good returners, and they’ve had good specialists, and I think that when you unpack special teams, when you have good specialists and you have good returners, that usually is a very good place to start from a formula standpoint.”
The Chargers have been searching for consistency from their returners with wide receiver KJ Hill, safety Nasir Adderley and running backs Justin Jackson and Larry Rountree III.
Chargers special teams coordinator Derius Swinton said Friday he’s been pleased with kicker Tristan Vizcaino. The team’s new kicker is 5 for 6 on field-goal attempts and 2 for 2 on extra-point attempts this season.