Kansas City Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie might have one of the most difficult jobs on the defensive side of the ball when Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers kicks off.
As the Chiefs' slot cornerback, McDuffie could wind up lining up against each of the 49ers' biggest offensive stars throughout the game. Players like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and even Christian McCaffrey will all be at the center of the defensive focus for Kansas City. However, it's some of the extra things that San Francisco HC Kyle Shanahan throws at a defense pre-snap that can cause some serious problems if you're not on point.
Speaking to A to Z Sports' Nicholas McGee, McDuffie spoke on the upcoming challenge.
"Man, they're a dynamic offense," McDuffie said. "They do a lot of things and for a nickel it's going to be really important for me to not only understand my assignment, but to be detailed. They're going to do a lot of things where in the run game they're pulling guards, they're having receivers in orbit motion, and stuff like that. For a nickel that doesn't know what they're doing, that can get really tough because things are going really fast. Just being disciplined in my assignment is going to be huge."
McDuffie certainly isn't shying away from the challenge that lies ahead of him with the 49ers offense. He trusts that Steve Spagnuolo will put him in the right position to do his job to the best of his ability on any given snap. That could mean blitzing Brock Purdy, covering one of the 49ers' dynamic receivers or even coming up to make a tackle in run defense.
Staying detail-oriented in the dog days leading up to Super Bowl LVIII will be important for McDuffie and his teammates after a week full of media commitments.
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