Derwin James Jr. was seated on the bench, mic’d up and providing running commentary on what would become a 27-21 victory for the Chargers in Week 1 over the Kansas City Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He sat with fellow safeties Elijah Molden on his left and Alohi Gilman on his right.

In time, James moved past simply exhorting his teammates to “take it one play at a time” and “let’s go” and “they’re not going to lie down” to more insightful observations on what was playing out while he and his defensive teammates got ample rest in the latter part of the Sept. 5 game.

As the Chargers faced a critical 3rd-and-7 situation from their own 40-yard line during the fourth quarter, quarterback Justin Herbert dropped to pass and then connected with wide receiver Keenan Allen for a nine-yard gain and

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