The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a disappointing Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions, and things don’t figure to get much easier this weekend.Going on the road for the first time this season, Andy Reid’s bunch travels down to Florida to square off against an old friend: Doug Pederson’s Jaguars. Both of these teams faced each other twice last season, with the regular season and playoff games each being decided by a final margin of 10 points or less.
The Jaguars, coming off a 9-8 campaign that saw them finish much better than they started, are favorites in the AFC South. Defeating Anthony Richardson and the Indianapolis Colts last week in comeback fashion, they also have some momentum as one of the top teams in the conference rolls into town. This game could be another potential playoff preview for early 2024, as neither squad is coming up short in the talent department and both have high hopes for the rest of this season.
What’s important to know about Sunday’s Chiefs vs. Jaguars matchup? How could the action unfold? John Shipley of Jaguar Report was kind enough to answer five questions for me to cover all of that and more.
JS: It was huge, but it is also worth remembering that this is kind of who the Jaguars are under Doug Pederson. They start slow, do things that good teams shouldn’t, but then turn it up when their backs are against the wall. It is important that some of the Jaguars’ young players like Anton Harrison, Brenton Strange and Tank Bigsby were able to see what it means to take a game in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars are a team that is hard to put down — not too different from Pederson’s mentor, Andy Reid, and his squads.
JS: The Jaguars’ defense had a lot of questions entering Week 1, even though they are returning 11-of-11 starters from a year ago (sans an injury to NT DaVon Hamilton). Their pass rush struggled to finish a year ago and they finished with one of the worst pass defenses in the league. They were able to limit the Colts’ passing game thanks to some strong plays in coverage from Tyson Campbell, Andre Cisco and Darious Williams, but the Colts also didn’t attempt a single pass over 20 yards. The run defense is their strength for now, with Josh Allen and Travon Walker each having a great week setting the edge. It was a good start vs. the Colts, but it was just the Colts.
