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When the Kansas City Chiefs played the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7, two rookies picked off a pass for the first time in their careers. This doesn’t happen very often.
DB Chris Roland-Wallace, a rookie for the Chiefs, started the party when he picked off 49ers QB Brock Purdy in the third quarter. Kansas City needed a big play when the score was 14–12. At that point, it felt like the game was changing quickly. Following the play, the Chiefs scored three times in 13 plays, going 79 yards and taking a 21–12 lead into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, with less than 10 minutes left in the game, Chiefs rookie DB Jaden Hicks picked off Purdy in the end zone. Finally, the play led to a 12-play, 80-yard score drive that gave the team an unbeatable lead over San Francisco. Either way, it was the first interception for both Roland-Wallace (UDFA) and Hicks (draft pick).
After the game, Chiefs senior S Justin Reid talked about the plays each rookie made. Reid had an interception himself in the first quarter.
Reid told the press after the game, “They never know when the number is going to be called, but they’re always ready to go.” “They had to make two big plays, which we need them to do.” Down the stretch, we’ll need them even more, and they’ll be more sure of that and show up for us more. I saw Christian Roland-Wallace do the toe trap swag on the sidelines, and then I saw Jaden Hicks pick off a pass in the end zone. Those were two big plays.”

When asked what Steve Spagnuolo and Dave Merritt taught the newbies that helped them make those plays, Reid said that it goes deeper than that.
“No, it’s, a unity that we have, not just in our room, but across the whole defense, like we have a team that truly prepares the next man,” he said. “All of us are in. We talk every day. What if this or that happens is something we talk about. The next man up—we meet up on our own time after practice. We still talk about security, and it works. Guys are tough out there, and we’re proud of how physically fit we are. As a whole, DBs, we hit, we’re tough, we’ll play press coverage, and we’ll make it hard for you. You need to find ways to defeat us.

That extra effort that everyone has taken to ensure the preparedness of every player will be further tested on the defensive side of the ball after Week 7. The Chiefs don’t think they’ll get good news about CB Jaylen Watson’s ankle injury. As before, the secondary will need to be very cohesive and united if they want to use the “next man up” mindset.