by: Alex Byington 5 hours ago _AlexByington
Los Angeles Chargers safety Tony Jefferson was ejected from Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs for targeting following a helmet-to-helmet hit that left Chiefs receiver Tyquan Thornton prone on the field for several minutes. Jefferson’s hit sparked a bit of an on-field shoving match as Kansas City players including tight end Travis Kelce took offense and went after the Chargers’ veteran defensive back
Thornton, who would return to the game, remained on the turf as KC trainers attended to him for several minutes as Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other players knelt in support. The hit on Thornton and subsequent delay came with the Chargers leading 16-13 with 13:38 remaining in the fourth quarter Sunday.
It wasn’t the first time Jefferson was responsible for a harder-than-necessary hit to a Chiefs receiver Sunday, earlier delivering multiple devastating blows to Rashee Rice , which might explain why the former SMU alum nearly came to blows with Jefferson during the scrum.
You can watch the entire sequence below:
Chargers safety Tony Jefferson ejected for this hit and likely facing a fine as well. pic.twitter.com/xbh2dManR2
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 14, 2025
Jefferson’s hit on Thornton occurred on a 31-yard completion from Mahomes to the Chargers’ 31-yard line, where Jefferson appeared to lower his helmet and deliver a hard helmet-to-helmet hit. Jefferson finished with five total tackles and one pass defended, while Thornton ended the game with just two catches for 47 yards. Rice had a team-high seven receptions for 51 yards in the game.
