KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Three years in the past, Jaylen Watson was working for his mom at a Wendy’s in Augusta, Ga. He was making $7.50 an hour and getting his grades so as. On Thursday, he was crucial participant on the sector for Kansas Metropolis, although one which few had heard of.
Watson was getting this chance to start out at cornerback towards the Los Angeles Chargers and their All Professional quarterback Justin Herbert as a result of Kansas Metropolis’s first-round choose, Trent McDuffie, pulled a hamstring within the season opener.
Watson made essentially the most of it.
With Kansas Metropolis and Los Angeles tied, 17-17, within the fourth quarter and the Chargers two yards from taking the lead, Watson stepped in entrance of tight finish Gerald Everett, picked off a throw from Justin Herbert and rocketed 99 yards for a game-changing pick-6.
When he acquired to the tip zone, Watson confessed that he actually didn’t know what to do.
“The ball simply ended up in my chest, and I took it dwelling,” he stated. “It was a surreal feeling.”
It was a again breaker for the Chargers, who had been attempting to do one thing that they’d not finished in 10 years: start the season 2-0.
As a substitute, Kansas Metropolis constructed on the play to win Thursday night time’s recreation, 27-24.
They did it with a pieced collectively crew. The kicker Matt Ammendola was signed this week to exchange the injured Harrison Butker. He booted two area objectives, together with the eventual recreation winner, a 31-yarder with over three minutes remaining within the fourth quarter.
Going through his crew’s last possession, Herbert drove the Chargers 73 yards in two minutes, punctuating the drive with a 7-yard landing go to Josh Palmer. It was not sufficient.
Los Angeles tried an onside kick that bounced Kansas Metropolis’s means, and Patrick Mahomes knelt out the remainder of the clock.
What was alleged to be a pinball model scoring fest propelled by Herbert and Mahomes changed into a battle between two oft-maligned defenses. In taking a 10-7 lead into halftime, the Chargers had bullied Kansas Metropolis’s offensive line, stuffing the run and harassing Mahomes deep behind the road of scrimmage on just about each play.
When Mike Williams made a one-handed seize for a 15-yard landing on Los Angeles’s opening drive of the second half, the rebooted Chargers regarded poised to run Kansas Metropolis off their dwelling area.
As a substitute, a affected person Mahomes picked the Chargers aside. Mahomes pitched passes to 10 totally different teammates within the recreation, and on the following possession, he unfold the ball round 6, 8, and 12 yards at a time. And when he noticed Justin Watson, one other newcomer, streaking down the center of the sector by his lonesome, Mahomes winged a go 41 yards for the landing to slender the Chargers’ result in 17-14.
Jaylen Watson and his defensive teammates apparently had been rejuvenated. Defensive lineman Chris Jones and George Karlaftis chased Herbert all through the second half, and Mike Danna’s hit on Herbert with 4 minutes remaining briefly despatched him out of the sport.
“The protection stored bringing it and bringing it,” stated Kansas Metropolis Coach Andy Reid.
Herbert returned and completed with a valiant 334 yards on 33 of 48 passing, with three touchdowns. Mahomes, maybe lacking Tyreek Hill, his high menace from a season in the past who was traded to the Miami Dolphins within the low season, racked up 236 yards and two touchdowns on 24 of 35 passing.
However it was Jaylen Watson who delivered the heroics. His time at dwelling together with his mom made him understand how badly he missed soccer. Watson had a few scholarship gives from small colleges, however selected as an alternative to go to Ventura Faculty in California, the place he earn JUCO All American recognition each years.
In 2019, Watson signed with the College of Southern California. However his grades weren’t so as, and the supply was rescinded. His mom managed a Wendy’s and put him to work.
“I discovered resilience,” Watson stated. “Nothing was ever given to me, and I believe that’s my edge. I deliver starvation. I deliver anger to the soccer area.”
At 6-2 and 196 kilos, Watson impressed his teammates in coaching camp, and never simply due to his bodily presents.
“He’s assured; I imply that’s large if you’re a nook, since you’re going to get beat typically and also you’re going to should step again up,” stated Mahomes, his much more well-known teammate. “He’s an enormous, tall nook, bodily, will get his palms on you, however he’s quick sufficient to run. He’s somebody that’s made performs. Every time his quantity’s been known as, he’s made performs.”
When Watson came upon that he was beginning, he known as dwelling and made positive there was a hometown crowd in Arrowhead Stadium for his first N.F.L. begin.
Did his boss from Wendy’s make the journey?
“Sure, my Mother confirmed up,” he stated. “Not my boss from Wendy’s.”
