In a matchup featuring two of the premiere quarterbacks in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs travel to TIAA Bank Field in Duval County to face the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jags are coming off a 31-21 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in week one, while the reigning Super Bowl champions were beaten 21-20 by the Detroit Lions.
Match preview
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Their upcoming game is being talked about as a measuring stick for a young, up-and-coming football club in Jacksonville, who were one of the hottest teams down the stretch of the 2022 regular season, winning the AFC South before being knocked out in the Divisional Round by the Chiefs (27-20).
We saw a mistake-filled game by this team at Indy last Sunday as they turned the ball over four times, failing on two fourth and short situations, but were able to create seven turnovers of their own, stopping the Colts on fourth down four times.
In his first season in charge, Doug Pederson transformed this group into a formidable squad, as this team went 9-8 last year, a seven-win improvement from 2021, while the Jags went from the bottom of the AFC South to the top in a one-year span, in what was only the third winning season for this franchise since 2008.
Last season, Jacksonville ranked first in the AFC South regarding points scored per game (23.8) and also conceded the fewest points per game in their division (20.6).
Their young offensive unit sparkled last year in part because of how well the offensive line fared in the pass protection department, allowing the fifth-fewest sacks in the regular season (28), and they did a relatively good job against the Colts a week ago, only conceding two, while their defensive line made a strong statement by registering four of their own.
Jacksonville head into this weekend on a five-game winning streak at home in the regular season and playoffs, including a memorable finish in the AFC Wild Card Round versus the Los Angeles Chargers last season, when this team won a 31-30 thriller despite trailing that contest 27-0 at one point, in what was their largest comeback in franchise history and the third-largest in the NFL postseason.
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Last Thursday, the Kansas City Chiefs experienced something we have rarely seen from them, as they lost their opening game for the first time since 2014.
There were some critical components to their offence and defence who were unavailable against the Lions, and that seemed to play a factor as the Chiefs only registered one quarterback sack, while no receiver collected over 50 yards in the pass-catching department.
While the offensive line did not allow a sack, a lot of that was due to the natural athletic ability of their MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who did well to extend plays, as he faced a pressure rating of 43.6% and was hit seven times in the loss to Detroit.
His head coach, Andy Reid, is a master at game planning and always seems to be a step ahead of his counterpart this weekend, Doug Pederson, with the 65-year-old going a perfect 3-0 in games against the current Jags boss.
The Chiefs will face a stiff challenge on the ground this weekend, and they were up to the task in week one against the Lions' David Montgomery, holding him to a 3.5-yard average per carry.
KC have been beaten on the road by an AFC South opponent in each of the past two campaigns, losing 20-17 at Indianapolis last year, though they have not come away empty-handed versus Jacksonville since 2009 (24-21).
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Team News
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Tyler Lacy missed the Jags opening game of the season due to a sore hip, Antonio Johnson has a hamstring injury, while five-time Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff was taken out for a while against the Colts with an apparent knock but re-entered that contest and appears to be ok for this weekend.
Trevor Lawrence had a QB rating of 103.8 in the Jags opener, with a pair of touchdowns, one to Zay Jones and the other to Calvin Ridley, who had eight grabs for 101 yards in his first regular season game since 2021, while Travis Etienne carried the ball 18 times for 77 yards and a score.
Foyesade Oluokun, who led the NFL in tackles last year (184), had a team-high eight in week one, Josh Allen picked up three sacks, Tyson Campbell had an interception and Jamal Agnew was pivotal in the return game with two punt returns for 58 yards, including a 48 yarder which seemed to shift the momentum in the Jaguars' favour.
The primary question for Kansas City this week will be the status of Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce, who missed their opener because of a hyperextended knee but could be back in time for Sunday, as could Pro Bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones, who had 15.5 sacks in 2022 and finally ended his holdout by agreeing to a new one-year contract this week, while Nic Jones could be a question mark because of a hand injury.
Without Kelce last Thursday, Mahomes went 21/39 for 226 yards and two scores, Marquez Valdes-Scantling was their leading pass catcher with two grabs for 48 yards, while Isiah Pacheco only had eight carries for 23 yards.
Trent McDuffie led them in tackles with six, Nick Bolton was the only one to sack Jared Goff, while George Karlaftis and L'Jarius Sneed each picked up three tackles.
Head To Head
The overall series between these two teams is relatively close, with the Chiefs ahead 9-6, though KC have won the last seven encounters, and even on a bad ankle, Mahomes threw a pair of touchdown passes in their 27-20 triumph in the AFC Divisional Round last season, with Kelce posting two TD catches and Jaylen Watson picking up a key interception.
In their previous visit to Jacksonville to kick off the 2019 regular season, Mahomes hit Sammy Watkins for a pair of scores as he outduelled Jaguars' rookie QB Gardner Minshew, who found Dede Westbrook and Chris Conley for fourth-quarter scores after coming into that game for the injured Nick Foles, but in the end it was not enough, with the Chiefs winning 40-26.
The Jaguars' last win against the Chiefs came in 2009 when Maurice Jones-Drew carried the ball 29 times for 97 yards and a score, David Garrard hit Mike Sims-Walker for a 61-yard TD toss and Rashaad Jennings had a 28-yard rushing touchdown in the opening quarter, helping Jacksonville to a 24-21 triumph.
We say: Jacksonville Jaguars 24-30 Kansas City Chiefs
These are two teams being pegged as contenders to go all the way in 2023, but as much as the Jaguars have improved, they need to capitalise on their opportunities, and that is where the Chiefs should have the edge.
Jacksonville have not had an answer for Mahomes and the KC offence in past seasons, and we expect to see a determined Chiefs team who should be able to right the wrongs from last Thursday.
