The story of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2023 campaign thus far is how dominant their defense has played through the first quarter of the regular season. Currently, Kansas City is 14th against the pass and 10th against the run, according to NFL.com. One of the key contributors that have helped make the Chiefs defensive secondary as good as it’s been is cornerback Trent McDuffie.
The second-year defensive back is earning the title of one of the up-and-coming shutdown corners in the NFL and faced one of his toughest tests yet on Sunday.
In Week 5, the Chiefs had to prepare for a Minnesota offense that has the firepower to be very explosive whenever they possess the football. One playmaker who helps make that happen is star wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The fourth-year veteran was expected to make an impact for Minnesota. Instead, he finished the game with just three receptions for 28 yards as Minnesota became the latest team to fall to Kansas City.
After the game, McDuffie spoke with reporters and explained how the Chiefs prepared for Jefferson specifically.
“I think we just did a good job of getting our hands on him,” McDuffie reflected. “He’s one of those guys where if you give him room, he’s going to be able to work. He’s great with routes, he’s great with his hands, so just trying to disrupt the timing was the big thing for us this week. Making Kirk [Cousins] try to find him, make hard throws, and make [Justin Jefferson] make a hard catch,” he explained. “I think we did a good job out there, especially [L’Jarius Sneed] on the outside.”
The Chiefs have steadily maintained having a defensive unit that ranks in the top 10 overall without attracting national attention – thanks to the struggles on offense and Taylor Swift for being a good distraction – over the first quarter of the regular season. If they continue to have dominant performances like the one they had on Sunday, the Chiefs will only be that much more difficult to beat as they continue to establish themselves as the top dog in the NFL.
