One of the key matchups to watch for during Super Bowl LIX will be the Kansas City Chiefs’ secondary against the Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receivers.
The Eagles’ passing attack hasn’t been impressive statistically, ranking 29th in the NFL overall. However, don’t be fooled. A lot of that can be attributed to the dominant season that running back Saquon Barkley had.
Philadelphia has a lot of talent at WR, led by A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. That is not lost on Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie. While speaking to the media on Thursday, McDuffie acknowledged how good Brown and Smith are, and also explained the challenges they present with their differing skillsets.
“I mean, A.J. Brown is your big, physical receiver who can really make all the catches,” McDuffie said. “He does the dirty work, definitely a deep shot guy that Jalen (Eagles QB Jalen Hurts) trusts. So, you got to be physical. You got to be on your P’s and Q’s, and you got to know what routes he likes. And then you got DeVonta Smith, who is dynamic, who can stretch the field, who’s fast, who won the Heisman in college. So, a lot of respect to both those dudes, and I think the defensive back room just understands the challenge that we’re presented with.”
McDuffie also said he and the rest of the Chiefs’ secondary haven’t forgotten that Brown and Smith both had big games against them during Super Bowl LVII two years ago.
“I remember walking off that field with mixed emotions,” McDuffie said. “As a whole defense, we were really excited that we won, but we still thought we didn’t play our best game in that last Super Bowl. So, going into this Super Bowl, there’s definitely a challenge that we have to uphold in going out there and having a better showing. But, also just the energy and the level of focus that we have to have. We know the challenge that’s in front of us. We know they’re going to be on their A-game. They lost to us last time, so you know they have a chip on their shoulder. We just got to go in there and work.”
In their previous Super Bowl matchup, Brown recorded six catches for 96 yards and one touchdown, while Smith caught seven passes for 100 yards. Hurts had arguably the best game of his career passing the ball, completing 71 percent of his throws for 304 yards and one TD. One nugget to keep in mind is that McDuffie and fellow CB Jaylen Watson were rookies during that game, and safety Justin Reid was in his first year with the Chiefs.