WATCH: Asante Samuel Jr picks off Patrick Mahomes for second NFL INT
Rookie defensive back Asante Samuel Jr. now has an interception in two consecutive weeks for the Los Angeles Chargers. The second interception of Samuel’s career came on Sunday off of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
With the Chiefs driving deep into Chargers territory midway through the first quarter, Mahomes fired a bullet towards his receiver, but the ball tipped up, and Samuel made a diving grab to take the ball away.
The Chargers were unable to score off of Samuel’s interception. The Chiefs and Chargers are in a battle, and both teams are 1-1 entering the third week of the season. The winner will leapfrog the other in AFC West standings.
Last week, Samuel grabbed the first interception of his NFL career off of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Samuel starred in his Florida State career
Samuel begun his collegiate career in 2018 at Florida State. He played in 11 games as a freshman, totaling 18 tackles, one tackle for loss, and nine passes defended. As a sophomore in 2019, Samuel had 49 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, and 14 passes defended.
As a junior last season, Samuel totaled 30 tackles in eight games. He also had a tackle for loss, three interceptions, six passes defended, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
The Chargers selected Samuel with the 47th overall pick in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Coming into week three against the Chiefs, Samuel played a role in each of the Chargers’ first two games. Through two weeks, Samuel had eight tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, and three passes defended.
Now, Samuel can add a second NFL interception to his resume. Through one quarter of play, the Chiefs and Chargers were scoreless. Samuel’s interception was a huge play that stopped the Chiefs from scoring, as they were already in field goal range at the time of the play.