The Kansas City Chiefs defense has increased its takeaways in the last two games, adding momentum that was missing early in the season. All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie described the energy of the group during his postgame press conference following Saturday’s win.

“I felt it. The energy of the team, the offense putting up points and controlling the ball, the defense making stops,” McDuffie said. “We dropped a few thirds and lengths which we were disappointed about. Overall, everyone just stuck together. The energy on the sidelines was there; you could just tell the guys were trying to get back into the swing of things.” It was really exciting for me to be a part of it.

McDuffie picked up another interception in Saturday’s win over the Houston Texans, less than a week after his first career pick. He appreciated the coaching staff for preparing the players for a short week.

“(Defensive coordinator) coach (Steve Spagnuolo) Spags puts a lot of emphasis on the first drive and the last drive of every half,” McDuffie said. “Going back to the coaches during the week, we spent a lot of time in two-minute and situational (football) situations just making sure we knew what we were doing but also what they were going to attack us with. I felt like, “We’ve been hit by a few different things throughout the year, but now as we get into the later part of the year, we know what teams are trying to attack us with.” The guys are starting to get used to it with our play calls and trying to execute the calls correctly.”

The Chiefs’ defense recorded eight takeaways in two weeks, increasing the pressure and sacking many opposing quarterbacks. Over the next few days they will prepare for the elusive Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.

This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie reflects on defensive performance against Texans: ‘Everyone just stuck together’