Kam Kinchens has bounced between being a key backup and reserve player throughout the first eight weeks of the season, but he delivered when his number was called on Sunday afternoon in Seattle. With Kam Curl banged up and limited to playing just half the snaps, Kinchens stepped up and made two of the biggest plays in the Rams’ 26-20 win.
The first was a 103-yard pick-six, the longest interception return for a touchdown in Rams history and the fourth-longest in NFL history. It came with the score tied at 13 and the Seahawks in position to take a fourth-quarter lead, but Kinchens took advantage of Geno Smith’s awful decision and returned the pick to the house.
The next time Seattle got to the red zone, Kinchens struck again. He made a diving interception on another bad throw by Smith, preventing the Seahawks from scoring any points when they were trailing 20-13 with 6:10 left in the fourth quarter.
PICK! Kitchens does it again for the @RamsNFL!
📺: #LARvsSEA on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/8yAOcHanRe— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2024
After the win, Kinchens had some fantastic quotes during his session with reporters. He talked about almost dropping the ball before getting to the end zone, a quote Ed Reed always told him at Miami and the relief he felt knowing DK Metcalf wasn’t on the field to chase him down on his long return.
On almost dropping the ball before the goal line: “It’s crazy because we made a point of emphasis in the meeting on Friday about dropping the ball before you get to the end zone. I wasn’t sure where I was in the end zone, but I was thinking, like, ‘Dang, most of the time, they’re probably running thinking they got in the end zone, so dropped the ball and I made sure to run to it and pick it up before I did anything else.”
On whether he heard it was the longest interception return in Rams history: “No, I didn’t hear nothing. I was tired. I was tired.”
On when he knew he was going to return the interception for a touchdown: “When I picked the ball up and saw nobody in front of me. And then when I saw (Byron Young) kind of make that block, I knew nobody else was catching me. And they didn’t have DK on the field so I didn’t have to worry about him running me down.”
On picking off a second pass in the fourth quarter: “Every time I do catch a pick, Ed Reed at Miami always told me, ‘If you catch one, it’s not illegal to catch another one. So I try to go out there and catch as many as I can. I want to catch, eight, 10.”
On what happened during his second interception: “The play thought on that one was, all props to (Quentin Lake). It was just one of those things, you’re in the moment and he’s telling me, ‘Watch your guy. Watch your guy.’ And as he slides back, just capitalize on mistakes. Geno threw the ball and I was able to catch it.”
Kinchens is a charismatic rookie with a terrific personality, and he showed on Sunday that he can be a playmaker for the Rams, too. A certified ball hawk in college, Kinchens has carried those ball skills to the NFL and already has two picks midway through his rookie year.
If he keeps making plays like the ones he made on Sunday, he’ll have plenty more postgame interviews to come, too.