9 October 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs secondary had quite a performance against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
They set the tone for the game from the very first play.
On the Vikings’ first play from scrimmage, safety Justin Reid forced a fumble on receiver Josh Oliver after a 15-yard reception that was recovered by Bryan Cook.
The most impressive part of their performance, though, was that they held the league’s best receiver, Justin Jefferson, to three receptions for 28 yards.
“I feel like we did pretty good. He’s one of the top receivers in the league and we got great corners,” safety Mike Edwards said. “We expect that from those guys, and they lived up to the challenge. We shut him down for the most part.
Jefferson did leave the game in the fourth quarter after a hamstring injury, but the defensive backs played very well up to that point.
In fact, L’Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie have proven to be the most underrated and one of the best cornerback duos in the league.
“They played exceptional today, hats off goes to those guys. If we had a game ball today, I’d give it to the whole back end,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said.
“They held their own, especially against a great wide receiver and a heck of a quarterback.
The Chiefs’ defense attributed much of their success against the Vikings to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Sneed also credited the challenge of facing Jefferson as helping him play better.
“I’ve been preparing all week. You know, coach been installing in me what to do and what not to do,” Sneed said. “It’s very challenging. I love it. Challenges, I love to face them, and I love to just go out there and work.”
Outside of a stretch in the second quarter where there were three straight penalties called on the Chiefs DBs, they were outstanding.
No receiver on the Vikings surpassed 100 yards. The leading receiver for Minnesota was Jordan Addison, who had six receptions for 64 yards.
The Chiefs’ defense played Jefferson as well as anybody since the star receiver arrived in the league. Coming into the game, he was on record-breaking pace.
“We put LJ on whoever the best receiver is week-in, week-out. It doesn’t matter if it’s Calvin Ridley, Justin Jefferson, whoever,” Reid said.
“He’s an old-school corner that you don’t see anymore. He puts his hands on people, and that throws guys off their game, so I think he did a hell of a job today.”
Sneed, along with the rest of the secondary, proved a lot after today’s matchup.
“He a dog out there. People better wake up,” McDuffie said. “You can just look at the numbers. I mean, that dude is ‘ballin’ right now. I’m just happy I’m playing right behind him, learning from him.”
This should be a huge jolt of momentum and confidence for a Chiefs secondary that was already playing well.