A little known cornerback out of Washington State played the hero on Thursday night for the Kansas City Chiefs, as Jaylen Watson picked off an errant Justin Herbert pass in the fourth quarter, and returned the pick 99 yards for a go-ahead score, leading the Chiefs to a 27-24 win over the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium.
Watson was taken by Kansas City in the seventh-round of April’s NFL Draft, and likely received playing time in the Chiefs after a injury suffered by first-round cornerback Trent McDuffie in Sunday’s season opener at Arizona.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 235 yards and connected with Jerick McKinnon and Justin Watson for scores. Harrison Butker, sidelined with a sprained ankle, was replaced by Matt Ammendola, who made all of his attempts. A 52-yard run by starting running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire set up an important field goal for the Chiefs.
Herbert threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns for the Chargers, but suffered fractured rib cartilage in the fourth quarter, leaving his availability for Week 2 somewhat in doubt.
Thursday night’s game was the first in NFL history offered solely on streaming video, with the game available on Amazon Prime. However, the game was made available in the Kansas City market on KSHB Channel 41, the local NBC affiliate.
Other NFL scores (September 18, 2022):
Miami 42, Baltimore 38
NY Jets 31, Cleveland 30
Detroit 36, Washington 27
Jacksonville 24, Indianapolis 0
Tampa Bay 20, New Orleans 10
NY Giants 19, Carolina 16
New England 17, Pittsburgh 14
LA Rams 31, Atlanta 27
San Francisco 27, Seattle 7
Dallas 20, Cincinnati 17
Denver 16, Houston 9
Arizona 29, Las Vegas 23 (OT)
Green Bay 27, Chicago 10
Games on Monday, September 19, 2022:
Tennessee at Buffalo – 6:15 PM (ESPN)
Minnesota at Philadelphia – 7:30 PM (ABC)
