CHARLOTTE — Demani Richardson, in only his third start at the NFL level, knew he had a chance to make a play. The Carolina Panthers were facing the Arizona Cardinals, and with just over three minutes to play in regulation, with the Panthers holding on to a tenuous three-point lead, Kyler Murray had the Cardinals driving into Panthers territory.

On a third-and-have-to-have it, Murray rolled out the pocket, dancing towards the sideline as he's apt to, setting himself up to rope one down the far sideline. He pumped once, moved forward towards the line of scrimmage, and pumped again, this time letting it fly.

It was a floater at best, a bad ball at worst, and one that Richardson set himself up to pick, further cementing the reputation he first earned in training camp as the ball hawk of August

"I knew Kyler wanted to go there, so I came down," Richardson explained later in the week, how he managed to put himself so far in front of the receiver in the cloud coverage. "So, picked it, make sure my feet were in, and I could have stayed in, but I was too happy, so I just ran and celebrated."

The turnover kept the Cardinals from taking a tying or go-ahead score late in the fourth. They would eventually force overtime, which the Panthers would then win.

"I'm glad I got the pick, but I'm more happy that we got to win," Richardson said Tuesday. "But, like I said, I have something to improve on. I thank God for that for the play that I made. I thank God for the situation, but yeah stuff to improve on."

That stuff to improve on is tangible. For a rookie who came into the league as an undrafted guy, fighting his way onto the 53-man roster and working his way into a starting role, having concrete things to focus on can be a blessing. It's not an ambiguous concept that relies on the player being something they're not. Instead, it's a checklist: do this, and you'll be all you can be and more.

"To watch Demani just continue to work at his game, continue to be asking the right questions and taking good coaching, and he's made plays, he's come up and made open field tackles, he's come up with interceptions, and those things like that… he's got so much he needs to work on," Panthers head coach Dave Canales admitted this week of his rookie safety. "He's got so many things that can be cleaner from a communication standpoint, accountability, playing his leverage, doing all the things exactly right. It's not just about making plays. It's about doing things right longer than the opponent, and that's the goal for Demani; that's the challenge for him.

"He's got to realize the weight of this opportunity to continue to press in and to make it so that his teammates can count on him at all times. And so that's what I hope for him is that he continues to press in and strive, to be somebody that your teammates can count on and respect."

This was, as mentioned, only the third start for Richardson in a rookie season when he wasn't expected to contribute much at all. But between injuries and lineup changes, he's found himself on the field more and more, playing 100 percent of the snaps in those three starts and accumulating 32 total tackles (6.4 tackles a game when on defense), two passes defended, and the interception.

The list Canales provided gives the young Texas A&M product a blueprint from which to work as he becomes more acclimated to the NFL.

"I feel like I can grow. Just knowing other people's jobs, more about other people's jobs like the linebackers, D-line, the run game, like fit-wise in the run game," Richardson explained.

"I can watch more film obviously just to get better and just playing; I feel like my thing is just playing, staying low out there and not being too high when I get my pad level down, just like playing with good technique. It's my big thing."

Since arriving this offseason, Richardson has been working steadily on each little aspect of his game needed to be that teammate that can be relied on. There's one part, though, that has never been in question: his ball abilities.

"He's just always been a guy that's around the ball, which is like as a defensive player is huge," noted receiver Adam Thielen this week. "It shows that you have instincts, that you just understand football and obviously, but more so just when you're around the ball over and over and over, good things are going to happen."

Even as a rookie, Richardson knows he can't rely solely on that part of his game.

"It's more about just doing your job first, and then if the play comes to you, make a play. So it's never about going out of your way to make a play; that's what gets you beat. So, I always do my job first.

"It's about playing with technique, playing with your eyes, playing what you see, doing your job first, then making a play that comes to you."

If Sunday was any indication, with the way Demani Richardson has been playing in a short time, those plays will continue to come his way.