Chiefs could run into familiar trouble against the Rams

While that knowledge won’t guarantee success, it adds another layer to what already projects to be one of the Chiefs’ toughest matchups of the season.

The Rams traded four draft picks to lock up McDuffie on a four-year, $124 million contract, making him the highest-paid NFL CB ever, as per Adam Schefter on X. They signed Jaylen Watson from free agency on a three-year, $51 million contract per Sportrac.

While McDuffie and Watson headline the familiarity angle, they won’t be the only challenge Kansas City faces. The Rams also added reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, giving their defense another elite playmaker.

The former Cleveland Browns edge-rusher will likely line up against the Chiefs’ right tackle to expose that weakness in KC’s offensive line, according to the Locked on Chiefs co-hosts.

The Rams currently have a 14.9% chance to win Super Bowl LX this season, as per ESPN’s Football Power Index. This makes them the Chiefs’ toughest matchup of the season, especially on the road.

But Patrick Mahomes might have an ace up his sleeve against this championship-level defense the Rams have assembled.

Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs’ counter-punch against familiar troubles

Familiarity works both ways. While McDuffie and Watson know Mahomes’ tendencies from years together in Kansas City, the Chiefs quarterback has spent just as much time facing both defensive backs in practice.

“Patrick Mahomes has been going against those guys since they’ve been rookies…” as per the Locked on Chiefs podcast co-host Chris Clark. “And that does give him a little bit of an advantage on them in general.”

Mahomes and the Chiefs will be up against an ageing Matthew Stafford holding it down for the Rams.

“Will Matthew Stafford still have a back? That’s probably question number one, two, and three,” the co-hosts Tracy and Clark noted respectively about what could be a deciding factor in the matchup.

While the Rams’ revamped secondary gives them a unique advantage through familiarity, Mahomes’ own experience facing McDuffie and Watson in practice could make this one of the season’s most intriguing matches.

By Week 13, he should be primed to take on his former teammates and the Rams.