Make It Rain: How Chiefs Preparing for Wet Conditions on Monday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Trent McDuffie played 47 NFL games before he secured his first career interception. It came in a cold rain last December in Cleveland.

Six days later in 30-degree home temperatures against Houston, he recorded Interception No. 2. So, don’t be surprised that the All-Pro Corner – who played in Seattle for the University of Washington -- loves less-than-postcard-like conditions.

Advantage, defense

“I say advantage defense,” McDuffie said Saturday. “We love it when it's bad weather and the receivers can't get out of their breaks fast enough. And O-linemen kind of have to play on a little more even surface. But whatever it is, rain, shine, snow, we're ready to go.”

The forecast for Monday, when the Chiefs (2-2) visit Jacksonville (3-1) on Monday Night Football (7:15 p.m. CT, ESPN/ABC, KMBC Ch. 9, 96.5 The Fan), gets better as the game gets closer. Forecasts as of Saturday night predict rain to actually have moved out of the EverBank Stadium area by kickoff.

But even if rain isn’t falling from the sky at kickoff, heavy rain will have soaked the field for several days, and the Chiefs will be ready.

travis kelc — Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) is tackled by Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker K.J. Britt (52) during overtime at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Turnovers primary concern

Andy Reid said this week his primary concern is wet conditions feeding into Jacksonville’s strength. The Jaguars lead the NFL in takeaways (13), interceptions (nine) and turnover margin (plus-nine). Meanwhile, the Chiefs are tied with Buffalo and Philadelphia for the fewest turnovers in the league (one).

“Really comes down to the guys doing it,” Reid said Thursday, accounting for his team’s ability to protect the football, “and the guys have done a nice job keeping it high and tight when needed, and not having tipped balls. All the things that kind of lead to those.

“And then, this is a potential weather game, so you add that into it, too. You got to make sure that you really take care of the football.”

andy reid, patrick mahome — Dec 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talks to quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Chiefs at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Kicking game

The kicking game might be where wet conditions show up most. And Dave Toub is leaning on a sure-handed return man in Nikko Remigio and an experienced kicker, Harrison Butker.

“Yeah, we talked about that today,” the Chiefs’ special teams coordinator said Friday. “We're not going to wet the balls or anything like that. But we talked about it, and we say that if it is raining or the wind and those things, we're going to take that into factor.

“With our return game, we talked about that this morning. … We're experienced. I think we got enough experienced guys that we’ll be able to handle it. And we practice in the rain out here, too.”

harrison butke — Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs place kicker Harrison Butker (7) prepares to kick a field goal against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Ironically, the last time the Chiefs squared off against Liam Coen was last season on a rainy Monday night. Now Jacksonville’s head coach, Coen served as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator in 2024 when the Chiefs won an overtime thriller, 30-24.

Chiefs Kingdom, OnSI is the Internet’s best and most thorough information source; the best way to get it is to follow @KCChiefsOnSI, @ZakSGilbert and @Domminchella on X (Twitter). And tell us what concerns you about Monday’s wet conditions by visiting our Facebook page (here).