Chargers LB Thomas Davis designed scoring play vs. Jaguars

The Chargers offense had a lot of fun in their victory over the Jaguars last Sunday, racking up a whopping 45 points.

The play-calling was crisp and the blocking was on point, which is why a handful of their touchdowns looked easy.

Among them was tight end Hunter Henry’s 30-yard score.

Los Angeles motioned offensive lineman Ryan Groy across the formation, placing him next to Henry on the right side. Quarterback Philip Rivers faked the handoff then went to his right. Meanwhile, Henry ran up the seam with no one guarding him, which is where Rivers found him near the sidelines.

But what if we told you that the beautifully designed play was crafted by someone on the defensive side side of the ball?

Believe it or not, linebacker Thomas Davis was the brains behind the play.

“Well designed play, man. A lot of props to Thomas Davis, actually. We talked about that play. We had a different way of kind of set up last week. He was like they’re going to know it’s that play. So, we kind of had to disguise it, motion the big lineman, Big Groy, across the formation trying to disguise it a little bit more. So, I got to give a shout out to Thomas on helping us out with that design,” Henry said.

“He came straight to me in practice one day last week. He told me from the defense’s perspective how he would view that play and what we could do differently to make that play work. So, I thought about it. I thought, ‘You know, sometimes we don’t give defensive players enough credit.’ We went in and made the adjustments. As soon as we ran the play in the game, he was in my ear. I told him to get away from me,” coach Anthony Lynn said.

Having Thomas on the team has been beneficial in a variety of ways. Not only does he provide a great defensive player and a strong locker room presence, but he’s been in the league for so long that he’s able to utilize his knowledge of what he sees on the field and deliver it to the offense to put them in the most optimal position.

The Chargers’ 45 points marked the first time they surpassed the 40 mark this season.