The Kansas City Chiefs traveled to Santa Clara, California, to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 28-18 on the road and remain the only undefeated team in the NFL. The story of this game was the Chiefs’ pass defense and how they performed against the 49ers and their banged-up receiving corps. The defense rattled Brock Purdy all game, as Purdy threw the fewest passing yards on the season with 212 yards and threw three interceptions.
Unfortunately, the Chiefs secondary couldn’t finish the game unscathed.
The Kansas City Chiefs up-and-coming defensive back suffered a lower-leg injury
Jaylen Watson suffered an apparent ankle injury in the fourth quarter. Watson limped off the field and didn’t return for the remainder of the game. Andy Reid didn’t sound overly optimistic about his injury postgame and if he could miss significant time. “I think Jaylen will be, yeah,” said Reid of Watson, who was spotted using crutches after the game. “I mean, we’ll see what the MRI says, but I don’t think that’s going to be great news.”
It’s not looking good for the young cornerback
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Jaylen Watson suffered a fractured ankle. Watson will have more imaging done on Monday to determine if a return to the football field is possible. The worst and most realistic scenario is that the Kansas City Chiefs cornerback will miss a significant amount of time or the rest of 2024, which would be devastating for their secondary.
#Chiefs CB Jaylen Watson, one of their emerging young players on defense, suffered a fractured ankle in Sunday’s win over the #49ers, sources say.
He’ll have more imaging done today to determine if a return this season is possible. But tough reality for an up-and-coming corner. pic.twitter.com/86J6M58zqm
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 21, 2024
He was having an incredible 2024 season
Jaylen Watson competed for the CB2 spot during the offseason to replace L’Jarius Sneed in the starting rotation. Watson would win the starting job during training camp and was poised to have a breakout campaign in Year 3. He had an incredible start to the year, with 32 tackles, one interception, six pass deflections, and allowing 15 receptions on 29 targets for 200 yards, zero touchdowns, and a 73.9 passer rating in coverage, h/t Pro Football Reference.
