Trent McDuffie Says Chiefs Forcing More Turnovers Was 'Only a Matter of Time'

After struggling for several weeks, the Kansas City Chiefs' defense is stringing together good games. Turnover production is no surprise to Trent McDuffie.

Dec 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) celebrates his interception with teammates against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

After reaching new heights in the 2023-24 season, the Kansas City Chiefs' defense has failed to replicate its production this year. It's been a tumultuous campaign on that side of the ball, with injuries and inconsistency headlining the past handful of months.

With the one-seed in the AFC clinched, however, the tides are beginning to turn a bit for Steve Spagnuolo's unit. Kansas City has strung together three good outings in a row on defense, helping reset some statistical trends that made the 15-1 Chiefs look vulnerable with the playoffs on the horizon. Christmas Day's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers capped off a respectable stretch for the reigning champs.

With five sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception, Kansas City flexed its muscles with the football world watching in Week 17. Cornerback Trent McDuffie believes some positive regression in the takeaway department was merely an example of the team being due.

"Man, I think it's happening at the right time," McDuffie said. "We've talked a lot about just, over this year, the lack of turnovers we had in the beginning of the season. This is something we've been working really hard to get. Things are starting to fall into place and we're starting to make plays on the ball. I'm just happy that we're doing it right now and continuing to just climb as we get to the playoffs."

A good chunk of the Chiefs' struggles can be traced back to when Jaylen Watson suffered an ankle injury. In Weeks 8-14 without him, the defense ranked 27th in EPA/play and 29th in dropback EPA/play. In addition to getting carved up, Kansas City forced just three turnovers in that span. In recent games against the Steelers, Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns, those EPA ranks are both fourth in the sport. On top of that, a staggering 10 turnovers have been generated (including six in the Cleveland contest).

A hot streak has the Chiefs rising up the leaderboards and now being tied for 10th in turnover differential this season. They're tied for 13th in takeaways with 20 of them entering Sunday's play. McDuffie himself is factoring into the reversal, having influenced a turnover in each of his last three games. According to him, the defense's turnaround in that department was inevitable.

"Yeah, I told you after my first pick they come in bunches," McDuffie said. "I'm sure you'll hear from a lot of the DBs – J-Reid (Justin Reid) just got a pick. It's funny how things just happen like that. We ran the right plays many times and hadn't made a play on the ball, so it was only a matter of time [before] we were finally going to start making the plays."

Don't get it twisted: Kansas City's last few opponents weren't world-beaters. The Browns were down to their backup quarterback in a lost season and although Houston and Pittsburgh are AFC playoff teams, their offenses are limited. More substantial tests are ahead in the postseason, specifically in the conference title game if reached.

For now, though, things are looking up for a defense that's seen just about everything this season. Now they just need to keep aligning preparation and opportunity when it matters the most.

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