Here's how Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie got into Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase's head in Week 2
Kansas City Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie's name might not carry the same weight as Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase, but in Week 2 he was able to prove that it should. McDuffie's comments ahead of the Week 2 win over Cincinnati tell the full story. "He's a hell of a player, but so am I," McDuffie told […]
Kansas City Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie's name might not carry the same weight as Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase, but in Week 2 he was able to prove that it should.
McDuffie's comments ahead of the Week 2 win over Cincinnati tell the full story.
"He's a hell of a player, but so am I," McDuffie told CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson ahead of the game. "I've just got to go out there and do my job."
"He likes to talk," Wolfson said of Chase. "Are we going to hear any trash-talking out there today?"
"I'll let my pads do the talking," McDuffie said. "I don't got to say nothing else."
His pads definitely did the talking against Chase. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, McDuffie aligned across from Chase on 17 of 38 routes (45%), including four routes in press coverage. McDuffie allowed just 1 reception for 4 yards on 2 targets as the nearest defender against Chase. His coverage virtually erased one of the Bengals' biggest weapons on Sunday.
“We know what he’s about & we just do our job to a point where you mess him up," McDuffie told The Athletic's Nate Taylor after the game. "You don’t have to do anything extra, just not allow him to catch the ball.
"Just not getting him the ball, I feel, is the biggest thing for us to get in his head.”
McDuffie's play frustrated Chase so much that he lost his cool late in the game, which resulted in a costly penalty. The Bengals wide receiver was hit with a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after yelling at an official following a tackle from McDuffie.
"He was questioning the tackle," NFL Referee Alex Kemp said, via the postgame pool report. "He thought he was hip-drop tackled on the previous play. And so, he came to me wondering about a hip-drop tackle. That was the beginning line of questioning."
Kemp said they informed Chase that it was not, in fact, a hip-drop tackle. Abusive language was then directed toward a game official by Chase, which was the reason for the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
McDuffie didn't have to do anything special to get into Chase's head. He didn't have to talk smack, during or ahead of the game. All he had to do was do his job, and Chase imploded of his own free will.
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