2. Cam Hart on the rise
The Chargers will be without Tarheeb Still on Sunday as the second-year cornerback is out with a knee injury.
Good thing Hart, the Bolts other second-year cornerback, is rounding into form.
Hart was on point against the Vikings last week, recording a career-best three passes defensed while lined up against Justin Jefferson for most of the night. And while Jefferson had seven catches for 74 yards, it was a quiet game for the star wide receiver.
"I feel like I played well. I put some good things on tape," Hart said this week. "Obviously, I'm my biggest critic, so I feel like there's things that I did leave out there.
"But just based on just the stat sheet and us winning and how we played as a defense, I feel like I did my job," Hart added. "I want to build on that and stack on that."
Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter concurred with Hart's assessment.
"Definitely his best game," Minter said. "Just most consistent, detailed, disciplined with leverage, what he was trying to take away, his ability to finish, he made some really nice pass breakups.
"Knowing where his help was, playing with confidence, playing, I call it 'Cam Hart football.' Just play Cam Hart football. He's a press corner that when he's up there and he's confident, he can cover a lot of people in this league," Minter continued.
"When he starts guessing a little bit or trying to see too much, like, 'Dude, just be you. Be the best version of you.' And he did that," Minter added. "There's always a play or two you want back, but overall I thought it was hopefully a preview to come of how I think he's going to play the second half of the year."
Hart and Still were both drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft and both played key roles as rookies.
With Still out for at least one game, Hart will be called upon to help lead the cornerback group for the time being.
"Regardless of who's playing, who's in the game, I treat every game the same," Hart said. "Obviously, [Still] is a big piece of our defense, but my approach to the game, my approach to practice, my approach to my preparation is always the same whether I'm the fifth corner on the depth chart or the first corner on the depth chart."
Finally, Still's absence means that rookie Nikko Reed could see his first extended action in the NFL.