Chargers’ Scott Quessenberry was thrilled to see cancer survivor brother score a TD
In the middle of a forgettable game for the Chargers on Sunday, something truly unforgettable happened for one of them.
It wasn’t until afterward, when he returned to the visiting locker room at Ford Field, that Scott Quessenberry realized the magnitude of what he had missed while his team was bumbling its way to a 13-10 loss to Detroit.
“I had an abnormal amount of text messages,” Quessenberry said. “They were like, ‘Wow, DQ out here scoring touchdowns.’ I thought, ‘OK, this has to be a typo for sure.’ ”
DQ was a reference to Quessenberry’s older brother David, who did more than just score as an offensive lineman Sunday for Tennessee.
He also scored as a survivor of cancer.
David Quessenberry’s one-yard touchdown reception on a tackle-eligible play was one of the NFL’s brightest highlights from Week 2.
“I’m really, really happy for him,” said Scott, who’s also an offensive lineman. “I’m kinda jealous of him, too. I’m not going to lie. He deserves it. To see it come to that moment for him was pretty awesome.”
David, who, like his brother attended high school in Carlsbad, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2014. A sixth-round pick of Houston the year before, he was out of the NFL for nearly three years while receiving treatment.
Philip Rivers will make his 211th consecutive regular-season start, 222nd in a row counting the playoffs, when the Chargers play host to Houston on Sunday.
He returned in 2017 and spent most of that season on the Texans practice squad. He was on the Titans practice squad last year. He made Tennessee’s 53-man roster this season as a swing tackle and, for the game Sunday against Indianapolis, was part of a goal-line package that featured him positioned at tight end.
On the first play of the second quarter, on first-and-goal, David cut inside to beat linebacker Darius Leonard, the 2018 NFL defensive rookie of the year, and haul in Marcus Mariota’s pass.
Leading up to their respective games last week, the Quessenberry brothers spoke, but Scott said David never mentioned anything about potentially being employed as a receiver.
“I figured he would have told me,” Scott said. “I had no idea that play was even possible. For him to score his first touchdown ever and have it come in the NFL is pretty sweet.”
Even with all those text messages celebrating his brother’s moment, Scott said he wasn’t convinced the story was real until he checked Twitter on the Chargers’ postgame bus ride to the Detroit airport.
“It was like a ‘finally’ moment for him,” Scott said. “A lot of people learned about his story that day. It was, ‘Finally, I’m back doing what I love full time again.’ It was pretty special.”
Family reunions
When he was asked this week about coaching against his son’s team, Anthony Lynn joked that he hadn’t even thought about it.
Then he smiled and added, “It’ll be sweet.”
D’Anton Lynn is in his second season as an assistant secondary coach for Houston, the Chargers’ opponent Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park. Before that, he coached with his father in Buffalo and with the Chargers.
The Lynns will join the Watts on what will be a genuine family day in Carson. Chargers fullback Derek Watt will be facing his older brother, J.J., the Texans’ five-time All-Pro defensive end.
Two weeks into the season, a string of injuries has exhausted the Chargers’ depth and thrust players into strange positions. Can they survive?
This will be the first time they’ve played against each other in a real game J.J. is four years older than Derek. When the Chargers and Texans met most recently — in November of 2016 — J.J. was out with an injury.
This week, the brothers connected on FaceTime.
“Mainly, [it was] to see [his nephew Logan], initially,” Derek said “Then he threw in, of course, ‘So what’s the game plan looking like this week?’ ”
The two also have been exchanging text messages.
“We’re still going about it as a normal week,” Derek said, “just as brothers.”
In three weeks, Derek will have a chance to play against his younger brother, T.J., who is a linebacker for Pittsburgh. They faced off last season when the Chargers visited the Steelers.
Injury updates
Just as the Chargers appeared to be getting healthier with linebackers Denzel Perryman (ankle) and Jatavis Brown (ankle), and kicker Michael Badgley (groin) all practicing Thursday, center Mike Pouncey went down.
The team’s injury report following the afternoon session had Pouncey not participating because of a shoulder injury. He had not previously been on the list. Pouncey’s official status for the game against Houston will be determined Friday.
If Pouncey is unable to play, the Chargers could move Dan Feeney from left guard to center and start Forrest Lamp in Feeney’s spot. That was an alignment they used in preseason. Quessenberry is another option at center.
Wide receiver Keenan Allen (knee) was limited in practice for the second consecutive day. Safety Roderic Teamer, an undrafted rookie who figures to play — and potentially start — against the Texans, practiced again after recovering from a hamstring problem.
For the veteran Perryman, who has been limited to three special teams snaps through two games, returning to a more prominent role would be a welcomed development.
“It’s been rough, just sitting on the side watching your guys play,” he said. “At the same time, I do get excited watching these guys run around and make plays. But we do get real antsy. Now the chains are off and we’re ready to roll.”
Go beyond the scoreboard
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