Previous Wendy's employee grills Chargers with 99-garden select six in Chiefs' acquire

Jaylen Watson puts the rapid in quick foods.

The onetime Wendy’s employee wound up grilling the Chargers on Thursday night, returning an interception 99 yards for a spirit-snapping touchdown in Kansas City’s 27-24 victory.

Decibelwise, the obscure rookie cornerback remodeled Arrowhead Stadium from a library to a include-your-ears start pad with his good perform.

He stepped in front of a Justin Herbert throw, plucking a move that was supposed for tight conclusion Gerald Everett then functioning the size of the area to place the Chiefs up 24-17, their 1st guide of the match.

Along the way, Watson, a seventh-round select who would not have been starting up but for a teammate’s injury, slipped the determined grasp of Herbert, who produced a futile attempt of tackling him.

“We have a rule as DBs, you can never ever get tackled by a quarterback,” Watson mentioned. “That’s my to start with work, make a move on him and just try to race to the conclusion zone.”

As typical-time game titles go, the stage could not have been even bigger. This was the curtain-lifter for Amazon Primary, which has special streaming rights on Thursday evenings, and seeing from a suite ended up NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Jeff Bezos, chairman of Amazon.

On this night time, Watson felt like the richest male in the position. He experienced hoped to go to USC just after two a long time at Ventura Higher education but instead experienced to shift house to Augusta, Ga., since he didn’t have the grades to transfer. So he worked with his mom, who is a supervisor at Wendy’s.

“I really like her to dying but it was horrible,” he explained to reporters in Kansas Metropolis previously this 12 months.

“It’s so terrible, you get no breaks absent from your mom — you go to function, you’re with your mother. You go house, you are with your mom. You just cannot even discuss about operate. It’s just lousy. But I nevertheless appreciate her.”

Chargers limited conclusion Gerald Everett (7) operates just after a capture as Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (38) pursues. Everett, who completed the game with six catches for 71 yards, was the focus on on the interception that turned the recreation.

(Ed Zurga / Related Press)

Not incredibly, his mother was in the stands Thursday evening to witness the best second of his profession.

Watson in no way could have dreamed this would transpire just a few months after a disappointing draft weekend.

“It was so nerve-racking,” he explained previously this 12 months. “Me personally, I was not expecting to go that late, so I was form of down. Absolutely everyone was telling me, ‘Stay off your cellphone,’ for the reason that I’m on the lookout at each draft select on Day 3, since I knew I was heading to be a Day 3 dude. All people held aggravating me and they have been annoying.”

Watson, who wound up attending Washington State and lingered all the way until the seventh round, bought the beginning nod as the final result of an personal injury to rookie very first-round select Trent McDuffie.

Watson was apprised of the decision Monday but was hardly overcome by the instant — even on Thursday early morning.

“I woke up being aware of I was going to get a select,” he stated. “I just understood remaining a seventh-rounder and finding my initially get started, I was likely to get examined a good deal. I just felt I was heading to get a person today.”

He stood at the lecternand talked to a area comprehensive of reporters and cameras after the match, and his cellphone was frequently buzzing. Textual content soon after text right after text.

His golden moment arrived with 10 minutes, 29 seconds remaining, and the Chargers going into placement to crack a 17-17 tie. Herbert put them into level-blank range of the conclusion zone with consecutive completions to Everett of 7 and 27 yards.

The Chargers have been tearing off performs so promptly that they didn’t detect a gassed Everett asking to arrive off the subject in advance of the fateful snap. Then, in a blink, it took place. Throw. Decide. Return. Pandemonium.

“Credit to their offense, they are a incredibly good group on that side of the ball,” Chiefs security Justin Reid stated. “I felt like our conditioning stage was just a small little bit better. That is the way we practice and we teach, and it manufactured a distinction.”

The way Watson sees it, the unconventional route he traveled aided him set his stamp on Thursday night.

“I’m just a extremely resilient particular person,” he stated. “Always functioning for what I have. I have hardly ever been given anything. That gave me an edge on the football industry as effectively. I’ve just tried out to carry that edge. Demonstrate some hunger. Exhibit some anger on the soccer area, and let it out on the opponents.”

Like an Amazon driver, Herbert acquired the bundle to the front porch.

But on this evening, it was Watson who really shipped.