Jaylen Watson wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Another member of the Kansas City Chiefs has come up with a weekly award in the AFC, this time for a strong defensive performance.

For the second week in a row, the Kansas City Chiefs have a player winning one of the conference’s weekly player awards given out over the course of the regular season. This time, it’s on the defensive side and it goes to a player who shocked everyone on Thursday Night Football in rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson.

There’s no question the Chiefs would not have won an important primetime game over the Los Angeles Chargers on a short week without Watson’s late-game heroics or even his steady performance over the course of the whole game. Not only did Watson hold up well in coverage despite his inexperience but he also delivered when the team needed him the most.

Watson’s key moment came when the Chargers were ready to score lining up near the Chiefs’ goal line in the fourth quarter of a close game. A short pass to tight end Gerald Everett went to Watson instead as he slipped inside the passing lane unseen, and he took it all the way to the other end zone for a 99-yard touchdown and an important lead for the Chiefs.

Watson’s win for AFC Defensive Player of the Week comes one week after Patrick Mahomes won for Offensive Player of the Week following a five-touchdown performance in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Elsewhere in the AFC, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa won for Offensive Player of the Week while New York Jets punter Braden Mann won for Special Teams Player of the Week.