The Los Angeles Chargers beat the Denver Broncos 19-16 in overtime on Monday, and a key contributor was Deane Leonard of Calgary, Alberta. In the extra period, Leonard recovered the football after Dontrell Washington of the Broncos muffed a JK Scott punt. This set up a Dustin Hopkins 39-yard game-winning field goal with two minutes and 38 seconds left in overtime.
Leonard is a rookie with the Chargers after being drafted in the seventh round, 236th overall in the 2022 National Football League Draft. He played his college football at the University of Calgary and the University of Mississippi.
Even though Leonard is a cornerback, he has played exclusively on special teams for the Chargers after their first six games to start the year. Leonard has played 90 snaps in six games.
This was the second straight week Leonard has made a contribution to the Chargers in their victory. On October 9, he recorded his first NFL solo tackle in a 30-28 Los Angeles win over the Cleveland Browns.
The Chargers are currently tied for first place in the AFC West with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs lost their second game of the season on Sunday when they were beaten 24-20 by the Buffalo Bills, who improved to 5-1.
