Something Beautiful: What Made Andy Reid Wax Romantic Sunday

interception No. 1

The first takeaway of the season came about halfway through the quarter, when Chris Roland-Wallace picked off Russell Wilson on a deep pass intended for Wan’Dale Robinson.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo employed a two-safety look to neutralize both Robinson and Malik Nabers, who’d combined a week earlier for 309 yards and three touchdowns on 17 receptions. On Sunday, the Chiefs held that duo to only three catches for 39 yards.

Wilson the week before at Dallas was 30 of 41 for 450 yards and three touchdowns. The Chiefs held him to 18 of 32 for 160 yards, no TDs and two interceptions.

On that initial interception, the Chiefs had Nabers double-covered and Roland-Wallace knew it. He played center field like Mickey Mantle and cut in front of Robinson, blanketed by Trent McDuffie.

“The last couple of weeks, we've been close,” linebacker Nick Bolton said after the game. “Tipped balls, dropped a couple interceptions the first couple of games and just finally getting them.”

Interception No. 2

Them, as in multiple turnovers. The second takeaway came later in the same quarter, when Jaylen Watson picked off Wilson in the back corner of the end zone. The cornerback timed his leap perfectly, stealing the ball from Nabers. The Chiefs took the touchback and not only drained the final minute of the first half, they also turned it into three points on Harrison Butker’s 28-yard field goal.

“That last one was a compliment to Spags on the gameplan,” explained Bolton, who wears the helmet radio and calls Spagnuolo’s plays in the defensive huddle. “When you're hearing the calls, you feel like he's a step ahead of maybe what the quarterback and the offense is trying to do.”

Watson’s interception was his first since Jan. 29, 2023, the 2022 AFC championship win over Cincinnati. Roland-Wallace, meanwhile, got his second career interception. His first came last season at San Francico.

On the drive that ended in Roland-Wallace’s takeaway, Watson opened the series with a corner blitz and got home, hitting Wilson’s arm to force an incompletion.

“Spags had a great gameplan for him, Russell,” Reid said Monday. “Russell's had some big days against us, and to be able to hold him where we did, I thought was a plus. We negated some of those long balls that he had been hitting, and I thought that was a big thing going into the game.”