2. Cornerback
This seems like a bold take, considering the Chiefs have an All-Pro starting cornerback in Trent McDuffie, but the loss of L'Jarius Sneed to free agency and a handful of injuries, have moved McDuffie, primarilty a slot defender, to the boundary — and made way for Nazeeh Johnson, a former 7th-round draft pick, to start alongside him.
McDuffie, standing at 5'11", 193 pounds, struggled against the much bigger Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton on Sunday. On nine targets, Sutton hauled in six receptions for 70 yards and a 32-yard touchdown against man coverage from McDuffie.
Bo Nix goes deep to Courtland Sutton for the 32-yard TD! @Broncos lead 14-3 👀
— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024
📺: #DENvsKC on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/zCVxAlrDBs
And his stat-line could have looked even better, if not for a couple of drops.
Johnson, originally drafted as a safety and standing at 5'10", 199 pounds, is set to make just the third start of his career on Sunday in Buffalo. Unfortunately, the Bills are missing their own physical receiver in Keon Coleman, but if Amari Cooper is able to play, he could pose some problems for the Chiefs defensive backs.
In last year's playoff game between these teams, Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for just 186 passing yards on 39 attempts. With the Bills facing a solid run defense, Allen will have to be sharp and the best route to doing so, might be through attacking the Chiefs outside cornerbacks.