Steve Williams credits pants for big game

Steve Williams laughed first before sharing.

It is a little unconventional, he knew.

The Chargers cornerback explained this week what he considered the hidden component to his performance Saturday night, stepping in after a second-quarter injury to a teammate and playing maybe the best football of his early NFL career.

His pants.

Yes. His pants.

Williams saw 51 defensive snaps the first 14 games of the season. On Saturday, he played 47 in an overtime win against the 49ers, flashing the ability that excited the Chargers last year before the 2013 fifth-round pick suffered a pectoral tear in the preseason.

It all started around the waist.

Williams has worn size 28 game pants all season, but they never felt comfortable. He wondered if they were too tight or if, due to his lack of reps, they weren’t stretched out enough.

That led to his game-day decision.

“I think the biggest thing is I switched my size of pants from a 28 to a 32,” Williams said. “I had more range. I don’t know what I’m saying, but that just made me feel a lot better. I could move a lot better. My knee lift was way better, and I could run way faster. …

“That’s my size now. I like it.”

Whatever works.

Six passes were thrown in Williams’ direction. Three were caught, totaling a combined 15 yards, just 3 of which came after the catch. The performance came with his 2-year-old daughter in the crowd and will only help his chance for reps moving forward.

His number of reps Sunday against the Chiefs remains to be seen.

Williams, 23, entered the game after starter Shareece Wright exited with a concussion. Those concussion symptoms appear to have subsided at an encouraging rate. Wright practiced Tuesday and Wednesday in the Chargers’ first sessions of the week.