Eric Berry gives Chiefs momentum heading into Thursday’s game

Coming off two emotional wins, the Kansas City Chiefs are preparing for Thursday night’s matchup against Oakland. The defense will look to Eric Berry, who had a game for the ages Sunday, for momentum.

Playing in his hometown and in front of hundreds of family and friends, Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry put on a performance of a lifetime.

“I shed a few tears before the game, I shed a few during the game, and I shed a few after,” Berry said on his return home.

Shortly before halftime, after the Chiefs punted the ball back to the Falcons, Berry picked off Matt Ryan and returned the interception for a 37-yard Kanas City touchdown. It was a huge momentum shift in the game that put the Chiefs up by seven points before an Atlanta field goal as time expired in the first half.

Berry scored eight points in the big-time win for the Kanas City Chiefs. That was more than what the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers scored Sunday.

After the interception return for a touchdown in the first half, Berry gave the ball to his mother and said he’d “be back.”

And he came back in the biggest of ways.

The Falcons took a 28-27 lead with about four minutes to go in the final quarter. Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn sent Ryan out for the two-point conversion. Ryan dropped back to pass, but Berry intercepted the Falcons quarterback at the goal line and returned the try for 99 yards and two points.

Berry’s pick-two was all the Chiefs needed to pull off the victory. (If you haven’t done so yet, check out Mitch Holthus’ call of the two-point play.)

Berry, a cancer survivor, is as resilient as they come both on and off the football field. Some questioned his play early in the season when he was relatively quiet in the Chiefs’ secondary.

Everyone is again well aware of the 2015 NFL Comeback Player of the Year who was designated with the franchise tag before the season. It’s likely that he gets a nice pay day in the offseason after his performance last weekend.

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Alex Smith said after the game that Berry “is the heart and soul of this team.”  There’s no arguing that. Since his return to football from cancer treatment, Berry has solidified himself as a premier leader for Kansas City.

Berry’s safety play will be a big key for Thursday Night Football against the hated Raiders, and it’s going to be a cold one. If Derek Carr doesn’t throw the ball as much, Berry will have to get involved in the run defense. Thursday’s game is possibly the biggest of the NFL season in 2016 and is one of the most-anticipated Chiefs game in recent history.

Berry has three sacks, two interceptions and one touchdown in 10 career games against the Raiders. Those are some of his best stats against any NFL team.

After the game Sunday, Berry had some emotional words about his life experiences with his mother.

"I can try to give her whatever. It won’t amount to the things she’s given me, and my dad as well. So many nights I was crying on their shoulder trying to make sense of everything that was going on and they just kept telling me, ‘Keep pressing and keep pressing and you’ll be back, you’ll be able to play the game the way you want to play the game.’ Both of them supported me throughout the whole process. I can’t thank them enough."

Chiefs Kingdom thanks you, Eric Berry. We’ll see you Thursday night.

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