KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jaylen Watson didn’t know when — and admitted he was still surprised by the moment — but he had a feeling he’d intercept a Justin Herbert pass Thursday as the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I woke up knowing I was going to get a pick, honestly,” said Watson, a rookie seventh-round pick from Washington State. “I just knew, being a seventh-rounder and having my first start, that I was going to get tested a lot and early. But I just felt I was going to get one today.”
Watson’s premonition proved true early in the fourth quarter, when he stepped in front of tight end Gerald Everett at the goal line and dashed 99 yards to the other end of the field for the go-ahead touchdown in Kansas City’s 27-24 comeback victory.
“Jaylen has been on the right trajectory since he got here,” safety Justin Reid said. “He’s continued to get better. His confidence is growing continuously. We trusted him to go out on the field and make a play, and he did that.”
The Chiefs were playing Cover Zero, according to Reid. He and Watson were working together in zone coverage on the outside.
Everett slipped quickly to the flat then cut upfield to settle into a void at the goal line.
“Herbert tried to throw it outside to the tight end, Jaylen slipped under it, took it 50 yards, cut back on Herbert and nobody was going to catch him at that point,” Justin Reid said.
Watson’s mind went blank at some point between snagging Herbert’s pass and the other end zone, but he knew not to violate the one rule by which every NFL defensive back abides.
“We have a rule as DBs, you can never get tackled by the quarterback,” Watson said.
Watson said he was too overwhelmed to appreciate the moment, which may have been a good thing since the defense had to go right back onto the field.
“I was excited for him, but I didn’t want to continue to talk about the play,” safety Juan Thornhill said. “He had just got a pick-six, but we had to go out there and play more football. I told him we’d celebrate the play after the game when we win.”
Watson found out Monday morning he would start after fellow rookie Trent McDuffie’s injury. McDuffie, a first-round pick in April’s draft, suffered a hamstring injury at Arizona and landed on injured reserve earlier in the week.
“Every time I stepped on the field, I’m just super thankful and super blessed that the Chiefs even took a shot on me,” Watson said.
Everything wasn't perfect.
Early in the second half, Watson got beat for a touchdown by Mike Williams — who finished with eight catches for 113 yards, including three catches for 28 yards against Watson.
But the Augusta, Georgia, native has overcome worse odds to make the NFL.
After starting his college career at Ventura College, a two-year school in central California, Watson planned to play at USC, but he said not enough credits would transfer and he wound up sitting out the 2019 season.
He spent part of the year working alongside his mother at Wendy’s in Georgia before eventually making his way to Pullman, Washington, where he resurrected his college football career.
“I’m a very resilient person,” Watson said. “I’ve always worked for what I’ve had and was never given anything. I think that gave me an edge on the football field as well, so I just try to carry that edge, show some hunger, show some anger on the football field, and let it out on our opponent.”
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has noticed Watson’s resilience on the practice field.
“First off, he’s confident,” Mahomes said. “That’s big when you’re a corner, because you’re going to get beat sometimes and you’re going to have to step back up.”
Watson also has made an impression on Kansas City’s veteran players in the secondary.
“He’s very technical,” Justin Reid said. “He works his craft every day. He’s an aggressive cornerback, gets his hands on guys, has good feet, good eyes, and he’s willing to learn and get better.”
Watson’s week will get even better this weekend. He turns 24 on Saturday, the same day Mahomes will celebrate his 27th birthday.
“His (Watson’s) birthday is Sept. 17, so that works well for him, too,” said Mahomes, whose birthday is also Sept. 17. “I’m having a little birthday party on Saturday, so I said it’s his birthday party now because of the way he played.”
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