Seahawks safety Julian Love expects to play vs Chargers

Standout Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love told reporters at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Thursday that he expects to return for his team’s matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

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Love missed last week’s 33-31 loss to the Washington Commanders with a calf issue that arose during practice last Thursday.

“I feel good,” Love said. “I’m gonna try to push. Obviously, I’ll keep working and see how practice goes today, tomorrow.”

Love had an interception in each of Seattle’s first two games while adding three passes defended and two tackles for loss. He allowed just two catches for 12 yards on four targets. His 90.3 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus is third among all safeties.

The Seahawks are 7-3 in games Love has missed dating back to last season and 12-1 in games he has played, including the playoffs.

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A.J. Finley started in place of Love alongside Rodney Thomas II against Washington. Thomas has started all three games this season in place of injured safety Ty Okada (hamstring).

“They did a good job,” Love said of last week’s game against Washington. “A.J. Finley is a guy we really trust and believe in and he brought a nice calmness to everybody. I know it’s a big undertaking in this defense filling in on short notice.”

Love and the Seahawks are set to face a Chargers squad that is off to an 0-3 start this year but is led by former Offensive Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert.

“He’s a quarterback who can do everything. He has every throw and you’ve seen it,” Love said. “Sometimes he may throw it completely across the field off his back foot. He has the arm strength and the accuracy to make every throw, so you gotta play true to your rules. Not every quarterback is like that. He can do all the things. So, it puts stress on us to make sure we’re sound across the board.”

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