The Kansas City Chiefs won their Week 2 matchup last Thursday evening but not the way fans probably figured the team would before kickoff.
Everyone loves to talk about Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense; however, the unit struggled to get much going. While Mahomes did throw for 235 yards and two touchdowns, Kansas City is 2-0 on the 2022 season because of how the defense stepped up and the late-game heroics of rookie defensive back Jaylen Watson.
Mid-way into the fourth quarter, with the Chargers offense knocking on the door three yards from the goal line in a tied ball game, Watson made a sensational play by stepping in front of Justin Herbert’s pass that was intended for Gerald Everett to make the interception before returning it 99 yards the other way for a Kansas City touchdown, instantly stealing the game and the momentum.
Kansas City defeated Herbert’s Chargers, 27-24, in front of a packed Arrowhead Stadium and a national audience.
On Wednesday morning, the NFL announced that the seventh-round 2022 draft choice won AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Watson finished Thursday night with four tackles, one pass deflection, and an interception.
Watson saw an increased amount of defensive snaps in Week 2, going from 51% (33 plays) against the Cardinals in the season opener to 68% (51 plays) against the Chargers. After the clutch interception that disrupted a would-be scoring drive last week, Watson may see even more playing time this Sunday.
Kansas City travels to Indianapolis in Week 3 to face a Colts team (0-1-1) that’s having some early struggles thus far in the NFL season, despite being a preseason favorite to win the AFC South division.
Watson and the rest of the Chiefs secondary will be looking to wrack up the takeaways in this matchup. Quarterback Matt Ryan has thrown four interceptions this year; three were against Jacksonville last week.
