Rams cornerbacks treated to dish best served cold on 2026 menu of games

Eight days after a high-octane clash with the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Eve, the Los Angeles Rams host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13 at SoFi Stadium. That game should be a big draw regardless, but for the newest Horns cornerbacks, there is an added attraction. 

That comes, obviously, from the fact that both veteran defensive backsTrent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, are former Chiefs, having spent four seasons and three Super Bowl runs in KC from 2022 to 2025. Facing Patrick Mahomes on the opposition is something neither has experienced in their NFL careers. 

Well, health for all parties permitting, they're about to face their former teammate this season. And they should be amped for the occasion. After all, rather than being rewarded for their top-notch contribution to Kansas City, they were unceremoniously shown the door. Watson faced selling his wares in the NFL Free Agency market, while McDuffie was traded outright.

Chiefs matchup is one to circle for new Rams McDuffie and Watson

The Rams will be glad to have them on their side for the contest. Earlier this offseason, general manager Les Snead traded a haul of draft picks for McDuffie, then turned around and made him the highest-paid corner in NFL history. Not done yet, LA shelled out another $51 million on a three-year deal with Watson, keeping the Chiefs' dynamic duo united. 

Snead made overhauling the cornerback room his top priority. With the additions of McDuffie and Watson and the departures of Cobie Durant, Darious Williams, and Roger McCreary, the rotation could not look more unfamiliar. 

For the two new kids on the block, it's a big change as well. 2026 will be the first time the former Chiefs don a different uniform. No doubt, facing Mahomes is a challenge both DBs should relish. Perhaps just a little, it could also be tinged with dread. 

McDuffie knows the sorcery up Mahomes' sleeve. He witnessed it from the sidelines for four years as a starter on Kansas City's defense. Watson does too, though from a slightly different perspective. He batted his way up the depth chart and through injury as a former seventh-round pick. He wasn't necessarily a first-teamer in practice during the first pair of Super Bowl seasons.

By pushing the Chiefs' game later in the season, the NFL gives Mahomes plenty of time to regain his footing after his season-ending ACL injury last December. In fact, he may be ready to go in Week 1. As long as he stays healthy, any early rust will have worn off by the time the Chiefs travel to SoFi for that Thursday night showdown this December 3. 

From McDuffie and Watson's perspective, picking off the three-time Super Bowl MVP to seal the game would be the preferred dessert to a Rams victory. 

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