McDuffie: Chiefs’ Defense Has ‘Something to Prove’ in Eagles Rematch

The Kansas City Chiefs may have moved on from their Super Bowl LVII victory long ago, but the team undoubtedly still remembers the game. Second-year cornerback Trent McDuffie, in particular, experienced one of his life's greatest triumphs but still isn't satisfied with how his side of the ball performed.

In that fateful matchup back in February, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 304 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 70 yards and three scores on the ground. Despite the loss, the Eagles logged 417 total net yards and averaged 5.8 yards per play. It was one of the best offensive efforts for a losing team in recent Super Bowl memory.

With Kansas City and Philadelphia set to square off once again in Week 11, McDuffie is locked in on Monday Night Football. Appearing on The Adam Schefter Podcast, he kept the Super Bowl in mind and said the Chiefs' defense still has something to prove after surrendering 35 points the last time these two clubs played: 

"Man, you definitely have to look at it as definitely a new experience because they're a different team [and] we're a different team. Actually, one of the big things that Coach Spags said this morning was, he hinted back to last Super Bowl, 'I don't know about you guys, but they put up 35 points against us.' And I know this year's defense, we're like, 'None of that. We're not trying to give up points.' There's definitely kind of that stigma like, 'Okay, even though we won, that wasn't our best defense. We still have something to prove.'"

That may seem like an ironic sentiment, and it is. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has done one of the NFL's best jobs this season, leading a unit that ranks in the top five in many major statistical categories. Whether you want to search for EPA, dropback success rate, DVOA or anything of the like, it's hard to find someone or something that doesn't like what Kansas City has generally been accomplishing as a unit. With each passing week, it's becoming more and more clear that the defense is one of the league's best. The Eagles rematch simply serves as one more big test.

Through 10 weeks and nine games for the club, Philadelphia is tied for third in the NFL in scoring with an average output of 28 points per outing. The offense ranks fifth in total yards, has gained more first downs than any other club and runs more plays with more time elapsed than all teams in the league. Hurts remains effective even while battling a nagging injury, and the Eagles are fourth in EPA per play on that side of the ball.

McDuffie is well aware of what challenges Philadelphia poses, singling out multiple elements of the offense that stand out to him. Monday's game very well may be the most exciting one of a loaded Week 11 slate, which is a testament to the caliber of both teams playing. According to McDuffie, this is what it's all about. 

"They're a great offense. They're a great offense. And they're efficient. They've got Jalen Hurts, they've got the 'Tush Push,' they've got A.J. Brown. It's going to be a matchup. But one thing, at least, I know with this defense and just being around the guys is [that] we love games like these. You've got to love a Monday Night Football game against the No. 1 team in the NFC. This is a showdown, man. This is why we're in the NFL, it's games like this."