Lightning Strikes Twice: Ja’Sir forces special teams turnover twice in 363 days off same brilliant move

Ja’Sir Taylor and Deane Leonard teamed up for one of the smartest special teams plays of the 2022 season. In Week Six against the Cowboys, Taylor pulled it of again.

Ja’Sir Taylor is in his second year in the league, and for the second straight year he has made the same momentum-altering play for the Chargers.

Oddly enough, it was on the same week as well.

When a punt returner calls a fair catch, they are supposed to be given a “free” opportunity to catch the punt without disruption from a defender. However, a clever wrinkle for special teams gunners to remember is there’s no rule against your own teammate disrupting your fair catch.

Last year, Chargers fans rejoiced at the brilliance of hiring Ryan Ficken to take over as special teams coordinator of the Chargers, and no other play encapsulated his brilliance greater than when his rookie gunners turn the tide in the Chargers’ favor in an overtime bout against a division rival.

Ja’Sir Taylor indirectly forced a fumble by pushed the Bronco’s blocker into his return man, and Deane Leonard capitalized by grabbing the loose ball.

Exactly 363 days later, lightning struck a second time.

Once again, Ja’Sir Taylor hit a special teams blocker into his return man, forcing a botched punt, but this time Amen Ogbongbemiga came up with the key recovery.

It’s worth a dive into the NFL Archives to see if any player has pulled this kind of brilliant move twice in their career, but Taylor has now done it twice.

Last go-around, it led to an overtime victory against the Broncos. Today, it set the Chargers up with great field position to tie the game up with a Justin Herbert to Gerald Everett touchdown.

Let’s see if it leads to a win.