KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With pride, Trent McDuffie hoisted the ball over his head, high enough for all of his teammates to see it.
Even before the officials confirmed the Kansas City Chiefs’ takeaway in their win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, almost all of McDuffie’s teammates on the field celebrated more than he did — jumping into the air, first pumping and eagerly waiting their turn to pat him on the helmet.
McDuffie, the Chiefs’ third-year cornerback, finally accomplished the lone individual statistic that had eluded him longer than he or anyone else on the Chiefs expected: He made his first career interception.
“Man, it’s a blessing,” McDuffie said after the game. “It’s special. A lot of emotions. We finally did it, but also during the time of when I did it. They were driving down the field and trying to get back into the game. They were putting together a pretty good drive, so getting that pick and stopping that momentum, for me, was huge.”
Early in the fourth quarter, the Browns were just 29 yards away from scoring their second touchdown, which would’ve cut the Chiefs’ lead to 7 points. Quarterback Jameis Winston scrambled out of the pocket and toward the right, finding a one-on-one matchup in the corner of the end zone.
At the same time, McDuffie was doing something he had never done before.
“The funny thing is, for whatever reason, I somehow glazed up at the jumbotron because it was a scramble drill,” McDuffie said, smiling. “I just saw (Winston) launch it and I was like, ‘That’s to my side, so let me turn my head around.’
“I could just tell by the way (receiver Michael Woods II) was running and his eyes, he was kind of lolling around. I just peeked. I was like, ‘All right, let’s do it.’”
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Once McDuffie located the trajectory of Winston’s pass, he made the Chiefs’ most impressive interception of the season. McDuffie boxed out Woods, dove for the ball and stayed in bounds by landing on his knees.
Three days later, before the Chiefs’ Wednesday practice, coordinator Steve Spagnuolo shared that he had never seen a cornerback make a play like McDuffie did.
“I wish I could say I did teach that,” said Spagnuolo, who is in his 26th NFL season as a coach. “Whatever he did, tell him to keep doing that. It’s very savvy. I remember guys running free for a touchdown and looking up (at the jumbotron) to see if someone was catching them. I’ve never (seen) the interception one.”
Good ol’ rearview mirror 🤣 @trent_mcduffie pic.twitter.com/0B6qgfsO6U
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 16, 2024
Once again, McDuffie has been one of Spagnuolo’s best players this season. McDuffie was the Chiefs’ highest-graded player in the game, earning a 92.6 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus. He finished with three pass breakups and four tackles, including one for a 6-yard loss.
The Chiefs defense harassed Winston all game and was rewarded with takeaway after takeaway.
With a season-high six turnovers, the Chiefs were finally — after two months full of one-score victories — able to breathe comfortably in the fourth quarter. Before Sunday’s game, one of the Chiefs’ issues was their inability to manufacture takeaways. They had produced just 10 turnovers, tied for the third-fewest in the league.
“Oh, that’s the best part, Trent getting his first,” safety Justin Reid said of the Chiefs’ takeaways. “Everybody on the whole team was excited for that one. Coach (Andy Reid) kept preaching that it was time to turn the tide on the turnover margin. We know we’ve been a little bit short. They come in bunches and it’s coming at a good time. We just have to keep doing it.”
Spagnuolo’s unit might need a performance similar to last week’s game — two or more takeaways and stellar coverage from McDuffie — when the Chiefs face the Houston Texans on Saturday.
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While quarterback Patrick Mahomes is expected to start despite nursing a right high ankle sprain, McDuffie could be Spagnuolo’s most important defender against quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense.
“He’s really poised for a second-year quarterback,” Spagnuolo said of Stroud. “I think he has a unique ability to move around in the pocket and still have his eyes downfield. He makes a lot of plays slipping in and out of the pocket and finding an open receiver. When a quarterback can do that, that’s pretty dangerous.”
The Texans use bunch formations more than any other team, clustering three receivers on 27 percent of their plays, according to Next Gen Stats. The tactic allows Stroud to find Nico Collins and Tank Dell, his two best receivers.
McDuffie is expected to spend much of Saturday’s game covering Collins or Dell.
“We get to face a really good opponent,” McDuffie said of the Texans, who have already clinched a playoff spot. “As far as a DB, we get to play really good receivers.”
TRENT TAKES IT‼️#ProBowlVote + @trent_mcduffie pic.twitter.com/wznWBwAd7A
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 15, 2024
In what would be a change for McDuffie this season, he could play most of his snaps as the nickel defender. He played 17 snaps at that position against the Browns after safety Chamarri Conner sustained a concussion in the second quarter. When the Chiefs play nickel or dime personnel against the Texans, McDuffie could be matched up against the slot receiver while cornerbacks Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson are on the perimeter.
“We’ve got a couple of different things we’re working on and looking at,” Spagnuolo said. “When you have injuries, you’ve got to find a solution. There will be some things we have to do if we don’t have Chamarri.”
Last season, the Chiefs had just 17 takeaways, tied for the fifth-fewest in the league. Part of that was because several defenders acknowledged they didn’t freelance as much as some of their peers in the hunt for turnovers. But in the postseason, the Chiefs tied the San Francisco 49ers for the most takeaways (five), perhaps a byproduct of Spagnuolo adding more wrinkles — new plays, blitzes and pre-snap checks — to his game plans.
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Spagnuolo had the league’s best cornerback tandem in McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed, too. McDuffie excelled as the Chiefs’ top nickel defender, a first-team All-Pro who recorded five forced fumbles, seven pass breakups, three sacks and nine quarterback hits. He led all defensive backs with 14 unblocked pressures. In Super Bowl LVIII, McDuffie helped nullify 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel Sr., allowing just 9 yards on seven targets in man-to-man coverage.
The only thing missing from McDuffie’s resume was an interception.
“There may have been a couple in (his rookie) year where he dropped (a possible interception),” Spagnuolo said of McDuffie. “Part of what happens when you’re a good player at that position, and this happened a lot to (Sneed) last year, when you have your guy covered, (the quarterback) goes someplace else. A lot of times those opportunities don’t come up. I was glad he took advantage of that one.”
After Sunday’s game, McDuffie said he wasn’t sure how he would display the ball he intercepted in his home. He instead immediately thought of the first thing he wanted to do with it.
“(Equipment assistant) Niko (Barber) grabbed it after, so I haven’t seen it yet,” McDuffie said, smiling. “But once I leave here, I’m going to tell him, ‘Go get me that ball so I can sleep with it.’”
(Photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
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