Hart Saves Chargers in Win Over Chiefs Posted on November 10th
Burned by a pass interference call and then a touchdown catch by star tight end Tony Gonzalez, strong safety Clinton Hart swatted away Tyler Thigpen’s 2-point conversion pass intended for Gonzalez with 23 seconds left to preserve the Chargers’ 20-19 win over the lowly but scrappy Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
“As the call happened, I said to myself, I wasn’t going to let him score this 2-point conversion,” Hart said.
“We knew they were going for the win. Denver did it, and I guess they figured they could do it. But surprise, surprise, we stood up and made a difference,” Hart said.
Coincidentally, San Diego lost to Denver 39-38 in Week 2 when the Broncos made a last-minute 2-point conversion.
San Diego’s defense played so erratically in the season’s first half that defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell was fired and replaced by inside linebackers coach Ron Rivera.
Despite coming off their bye, the Chargers (4-5) looked lethargic in the first half and were booed heading to the locker room trailing 13-6.
Philip Rivers rallied them with two touchdown passes late in the game, then Hart saved them.
Thigpen moved the Chiefs (1-8) to the Chargers 18 with 41 seconds left. On a second-down pass, Hart came from the side to knock a pass away from Gonzalez and was called for a questionable pass interference penalty that gave the Chiefs a first-and-goal at the 1. After an incomplete pass and a 2-yard loss by fullback Mike Cox, Gonzalez caught a 3-yard touchdown pass to pull the Chiefs within one. Hart and nickel back Antoine Cason were covering Gonzalez tightly.
Then came the big play. Hart deflected Thigpen’s pass right to Quentin Jammer, who made the interception while on the ground.
“I got into him really good,” Hart said. “I pressed him. He gets his big body and tries to push you off, and he tried to push me off. I latched onto the inside of his pads and I said ‘I’m not going to let you push me off.’ And I kind of got underneath him, got the ball down. Jammer got a pick.”
Gonzalez thought there should have been a flag.