The Jacksonville Jaguars are just over 24 hours away from their regular season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at TIAA Bank Field. Over the past week, we’ve done our best to scout the Super Bowl contending Chiefs, and really all that is left is to hear what our comrades at Chiefs Wire think about Week 1’s game. To do that, we spoke with our friend Charles Goldman, who is the managing editor of the site and was kind enough to answer five burning questions we had about Andy Reid and company.
Jags Wire: The Chiefs’ front office has managed to put together an elite team, especially on offense. Does that mean fans are viewing it as a Super Bowl or bust type season?
Charles Goldman: Yeah, expectations are really high for this team. The success that they had last season and being so close, they are especially eager to get right back there. The franchise hasn’t had a team this close to Super Bowl contention in a long time and there is definitely some pressure to get there and win it because of that.
With a monster contract extension looming for Patrick Mahomes, it’s more important than ever that they go all the way this year. That elite roster you speak of won’t be as feasible when he’s no longer on the rookie deal. At the same time, fans know the window is wide open as long as Mahomes is out there. He’s just that special of a player.
JW: In 2018, the meeting between these two teams didn’t really live up to the hype mostly because the Jags’ offense wasn’t good under quarterback Blake Bortles and injuries, but this time around it could get interesting. What are some things that concern you about this matchup from the Chiefs’ perspective?
CG: That Jaguars defensive line is really good. It’s one of the few in the NFL that I think I might take over the Chiefs group right now. The Chiefs have a veteran group of guys on the offensive line for the most part but they’re going to be challenged in this game.
I’m a big Dede Westbrook fan and I expect him to break out for the Jaguars this year. Cornerback is still a big weakness for the Chiefs and I worry about him getting some favorable matchups against Charvarius Ward.
JW: The Jags signed two former Chiefs in quarterback Nick Foles and receiver Chris Conley, who Foles banged the table to acquire. Can you talk about their time in Kansas City?
CG: Foles won a few games for Kansas City in relief in 2016, one of those being a 17-14 win over the Jaguars. He was always a solid No. 2 for the Chiefs, so I’m very intrigued to see how he’ll manage as a full-time starter again. We’re all familiar with his success filling in for Carson Wentz and becoming the Super Bowl MVP. His 2013 season was also one of the better seasons we’ve seen from a starting QB in the last decade. I just wonder if he has the supporting cast yet on offense to find that type of success again.
As for Chris Conley, we’re talking about one of my favorite former Chiefs players. Not only is he super talented, but he’s also a really good person. I always expected him to break out in Kansas City, but I think the offense with Alex Smith held him back. 2018 was his best season, catching 5 touchdown passes on just over 30 receptions. Where he really excelled that season was when plays broke down and Mahomes was forced to improvise. He’s also an exceptional blocker on the perimeter.
JW: Last season the Chiefs’ defense finished at the bottom of the league in several major categories, but the front office has made some upgrades. Can you talk about the changes made on that side and some of the key additions like pass-rusher Frank Clark and safety Tyrann Mathieu?
CG: We can talk about the personnel for days, but I truly think the biggest upgrade came at defensive coordinator. The players haven’t been shy when talking about how much easier it is in Steve Spagnuolo’s system as opposed to Bob Sutton’s system. We’ve definitely seen some signs of progress already during the preseason.
As for Clark and Mathieu, they both bring a confidence and edge to their game that the Chiefs didn’t previously have. It almost reminds me of how the Jaguars played before meeting the Chiefs in 2018. Some other new additions to watch out for are Bashaud Breeland and Alex Okafor, they’ve both surprised this preseason and look to be just as important to the Chiefs defense moving forward.
JW: What are your predictions for the game?
CG: I’m locking in a Chiefs win 34-19. I feel like Patrick Mahomes has a bad taste in his mouth from Week 5 of 2018 and really wants to step things up. The new 4-3 defense should give the Jaguars some trouble, specifically in the run game. They’ve been much more stout against the run than they were in 2018. I think the Jaguars offense will get over on the Chiefs’ new defense a few times. Just as they’ll need time to gel, so will the Jaguars offense.
