This DB saved Chiefs in Super Bowl. His role this year is ‘whole different ballgame’

There’s a bit more to the story, Trent McDuffie says, when unpacking one of the biggest plays from the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory in February.

The Chiefs cornerback saved the season then during a tie game late in regulation. While blitzing, he batted down a pass from quarterback Brock Purdy on a third-and-4 after the two-minute warning, forcing the San Francisco 49ers into a long field-goal attempt while not allowing them to run out the rest of the clock before a potential game-winning kick.

As it turned out, San Francisco made its field goal, but KC had time to rally for its own. Mecole Hardman never catches the subsequent game-winner in overtime, then, without McDuffie’s successful pass rush before.

But how McDuffie did it speaks to who he is — and is part of why he earned All-Pro honors last season while not recording an interception.

Even in the biggest defensive moment of the Super Bowl, McDuffie didn’t panic.

And instead, he leaned into his preparation.

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Watch the play again; it almost seems McDuffie knows the future before it comes. Even while others seem to be preparing for Purdy’s snap, McDuffie actually retreats as a blitzer, hiding his intentions until the last possible moment.

He said he had good reason to do that. During Super Bowl week meetings, Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt had often discussed Purdy’s tendency to snap the football later in the play clock. That typically came during a particular few-second sequence toward the end.

McDuffie had seen this play out all game. Purdy would wait, wait, wait, then snap it during the expected slot.

So when Purdy turned to look left before the snap, McDuffie couldn’t tell if he was checking into a different play or simply scanning the surroundings.

But McDuffie knew it wasn’t time for him to move yet — as tempting as that might be, given his importance to the play.

McDuffie actually backed up two steps when Purdy looked his way with 12 seconds remaining on the play clock, acting like he was going back in coverage. It all was part of the beauty of the next few moments for the Chiefs defense, as once Purdy looked the opposite direction, McDuffie sprang forward, surprising the QB with a blitz before leaping in the air to knock the pass down.

All the elements had to come together for McDuffie to get this play right: studying, instincts, athleticism and even trust in his coaches.

Leaning into those should also be the path for him to succeed in his expected new role for 2024: helping to replace L’Jarius Sneed as a lockdown corner on the outside.

The Chiefs traded Sneed in the offseason, in part, because of their belief that McDuffie is capable of more ahead.

And while his game-saving play in the Super Bowl was from an inside spot, McDuffie said he’s embracing his new challenge of lining up wide.

“Moving to the outside, it’s a whole different ballgame,” McDuffie said. “Inside, you’ve got help here and there. You can do things a little bit differently. On the outside — on the island — you’ve got to be a technician.”

McDuffie says he’s working each day in training camp to better himself. The third-year player still feels like he’s growing and learning each practice, which he says is “one thing that wakes me up every day.”

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, meanwhile, says while he’s still searching for the team’s second- and third-best cornerbacks in camp, “We know who our No. 1 is.”

McDuffie, he says, has earned that praise.

“He got voted All-Pro by his peers last year. I thought that was the hugest compliment to a DB that did not have an interception, because that tells you all you need to know,” Spagnuolo said about McDuffie. “He does a lot of things really good.”

That fact might mean the Chiefs aren’t entirely done rotating McDuffie inside at times. McDuffie, for example, ranked second among all cornerbacks in Pro Football Focus pass rush grade last year, and that part of his skill set would naturally play up better if he’s on the interior while closer to the quarterback.

McDuffie said he’s already spoken with Spagnuolo about putting him in the position that’s best for the team.

Which means he won’t be afraid to challenge No. 1 receivers if asked to play the perimeter without help.

“That’s why we play this game, to go against the best of the best,” McDuffie said. “Being able to compete, no matter who it’s against, I’m ready to do that.”