CLEVELAND — The silence was deafening after Chargers rookie cornerback Tarheeb Still’s first career interception. Where was the crowd noise? Where was the celebration in the stands after he put a halt to another of the Cleveland Browns’ drives Sunday at Huntington Bank Field?
Still had already tipped a pass from Browns quarterback Jameis Winston into the waiting arms of teammate Elijah Moden in the end zone for the first of three second-half interceptions by the Chargers during their 27-10 victory over Cleveland. Still’s fourth-quarter pick helped to seal the deal.
“Seeing it in the air, I thought to myself, ‘I can pick that,’” Still said of the second-and-10 pass by Winston from the Chargers’ 49-yard line with 10:44 remaining in the game. “So, I stepped in front and ripped the ball from him (Browns receiver Elijah Moore). When I stood up, it got quiet.”
It was an odd sensation until he remembered he was in Cleveland, not L.A.
Still’s teammates, especially veteran safety Derwin James Jr., soon mobbed him.
“One and a half interceptions today,” a smiling Coach Jim Harbaugh said, referring to the pick and also the tip in the end zone to Molden, who leads the Chargers with three interceptions after they acquired him Aug. 28 from the Tennessee Titans, next Sunday’s opponent at SoFi Stadium.
EXTRA POINTS
Outside linebacker, Khalil Mack limped to the sideline after a play late in the game but later insisted it was nothing to worry about. Mack, playing in his 11th season in the NFL, hasn’t missed a game during his two-plus years with the Chargers, one of their most durable players.
“I’ll be good, man,” Mack said at the game’s end when asked about an apparent injury or perhaps a cramp to his leg that forced him from the game. “Just a couple of grabs. I’ll be all right. A couple of needles and I’ll be on my way. I’ll be ready next week (to face the Titans at SoFi Stadium).” …
Defensive lineman Teair Tart blocked a 51-yard field goal attempt by Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins in the fourth quarter. Hopkins, a former Chargers kicker, slipped on the grass and he hit a low line drive that appeared to glance off the facemask of Tart in the middle of the line. …
Wide receiver Simi Fehoko suffered a significant elbow injury, causing a remarkable amount of swelling in and around the joint after he was injured while covering a punt by teammate JK Scott in the fourth quarter. His status for next Sunday’s game against the Titans was uncertain. …
Quarterback Justin Herbert has attempted 192 consecutive passes without an interception, the third-longest streak in Chargers history. Herbert holds the franchise record with 233 attempts without a pick between Dec. 26, 2022, and Oct. 1, 2023. Drew Brees with 194 passes without interception is second.