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In a play that will surely end up on the Kansas City Chiefs season highlight reel, second-year defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton came down with one of the best interceptions the team will see all year. He first batted a pass by Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke, then pinned it to an offensive lineman’s helmet before grasping it with both hands and securing the ball to ice the Week 6 win on the road.
It was a truly remarkable effort, and one that fans won’t soon forget, especially given how much the defense has struggled to create turnovers so far. Wharton commented on the turn of events in a press conference held before practice on Wednesday, expressing his surprise that he was even in a position to make the play in the first place.
“It’s something I thought would probably never be seen,” He said. “But it’s always good to get one and I made SportsCenter Top 10.”
It’s not often that a big man comes down with the ball the way Wharton was able to, and the only thing that could’ve topped it would’ve been if he was able to return the ball for a touchdown. For his part, Wharton was focused on just coming down with the rock and completing the play.
“I saw it coming,” Wharton explained of the play’s development in real-time. “We’re always talking about the running back as his check down, so when I saw it coming, I was really trying to like swipe it down, but he didn’t put much heat on the ball. So, when I hit it, I realized I really had it. So, I just put it on his head and then once I got two hands on it, I wasn’t letting it go.”
The raw determination was evident as the play unfolded on television, and was a unique look into his special ability at the defensive tackle position. A single impressive snap is rarely enough to justify a bigger role for a depth player, but if what he showed against Washington was any indication, Wharton might have some much-needed juice that could benefit the ailing Chiefs’ defense moving forward.
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