Chiefs' Defense Stumbles in Dallas, But McDuffie Looks to Bounce Back Against Red-Hot Texans
When the Chiefs took the field in Dallas on Thanksgiving, it wasn’t just the turkey that got carved up - Kansas City’s defense had a rough night, and even one of the league’s best corners, Trent McDuffie, wasn’t immune to the damage.
McDuffie, known for his discipline and elite coverage skills, had an unusually tough outing. He was flagged three times for defensive pass interference - all in the second half, and two in the crucial fourth quarter - as the Cowboys relentlessly attacked the Chiefs’ secondary. Each of those calls came with McDuffie lined up against Dallas star CeeDee Lamb, a matchup that turned into a heavyweight battle but leaned heavily in the Cowboys’ favor.
“Definitely cleaning up the PIs,” McDuffie said when reflecting on the performance. “When I looked at it, I was really hard on myself and hard on the defense.”
And that self-assessment tracks. Through his first three-plus seasons in the league, McDuffie had drawn just eight accepted pass interference penalties total - never more than one in a game.
So to have three in one night? That’s not just rare - it’s borderline unthinkable for a player who earned All-Pro honors in 2023 and again in 2024 (first-team and second-team, respectively).
But McDuffie wasn’t alone in the struggle. The Chiefs' defense as a whole had a night to forget.
For the second straight game, they failed to register a sack - a troubling trend for a unit that prides itself on pressure. With time to throw, Dak Prescott picked apart the secondary, spreading the ball to his deep group of receivers and piling up 457 total yards, including 320 through the air - both season highs allowed by Kansas City.
The flags didn’t help either. The Chiefs were penalized 10 times for 119 yards - both season highs - and while McDuffie didn’t point fingers at referee John Hussey’s crew, he acknowledged the challenge of staying locked in when calls don’t go your way.
“You want calls to go your way, and sometimes they don’t,” he said. “You don’t want to get out of your game.
You don’t want to let calls factor in what you do on the field. If they throw a flag, they throw a flag - you have to wash it away and get ready for the next play.”
Still, even in a game where the defense was on its heels, McDuffie nearly made a momentum-shifting play. With the Cowboys protecting a one-score lead in the fourth quarter, he punched the ball loose from receiver George Pickens after a catch - a heads-up play that could’ve flipped the script. But KaVontae Turpin beat the Chiefs to the ball, and Dallas capitalized with a field goal that sealed the win.
Now, the Chiefs have to regroup - and fast. Next up: a “Sunday Night Football” showdown at Arrowhead against a surging Texans team that’s found its stride.
Houston has won four straight and just knocked off AFC-leading Indianapolis on the road. Quarterback C.J.
Stroud is back in the lineup after a three-game absence due to concussion protocol, and he’s picked up right where he left off.
McDuffie will likely draw another tough assignment in Texans wideout Nico Collins, a big-bodied receiver who’s averaging 14 yards per catch and has become Stroud’s go-to target. Collins is no stranger to the Chiefs either - he had 12 catches across two matchups last season, both Kansas City wins.
“They’re a confident group,” McDuffie said. “Even when C.J. was out, their offense was still rolling, still doing a lot of good things.”
For the Chiefs, this week is less about panic and more about recalibration. The defense has been a strength for most of the season, and McDuffie’s track record speaks for itself. But with playoff positioning at stake and a red-hot opponent coming into town, the margin for error is shrinking.
Sunday night offers a chance to bounce back - and for McDuffie, a shot at redemption.