This Sunday at 1 PM EST, the Jacksonville Jaguars kick off the season against the Kansas City Chiefs. Needless to say, it won’t be an easy matchup for the Jags as the Chiefs are widely viewed as Super Bowl contenders with offensive fire-power most fans envy. If they are to win they will clearly need to overcome some obstacles and put together a solid game plan.
Here are some causes for concern as the Jags prepare to take on the Kansas City Chiefs at TIAA Bank Field this week:
TE Travis Kelce
Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash announced that cornerback Jalen Ramsey will shadow Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill for the game. While Hill still figures to put up some yards against the All-Pro corner, Hill won’t be the Jaguars biggest concern on offense. That would be Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce.
Kelce is regarded as one of the best tight ends in the league. His downfield ability as a receiver has caused defenses problems for years. He is a mismatch nightmare, and the Jags will likely have their hands full on Sunday trying to cover Kelce. Expect newly-extended Myles Jack to play a massive part in the Jaguars plans to minimize the tight end’s impact.
Will the offense gel quickly?
The Jags’ starting offense didn’t get to see a lot of action this preseason. Head coach Doug Marrone opted to hold the starting offense out until the third preseason game due to injuries in the trenches. Now that the offense is healthy, how quickly can they gel together?
There are still a lot of unknowns surrounding this Jaguars’ offense. Nick Foles steps in as the new signal-caller, and a rejuvenated Leonard Fournette hopes to return to his former self. Cam Robinson, Brandon Linder, and Andrew Norwell return from injury, and two new starters figure to be on the right side in guard Will Richardson and tackle Jawaan Taylor. Seeing this new 2019 Jaguars offense will surely be exciting for fans, and hopefully, the unit gets off to a fast start.
RB LeSean McCoy
LeSean McCoy was expected to be the lead back for the Buffalo Bills this season. With rosters being finalized Saturday, McCoy was released from the Bills and quickly signed with the Chiefs and their high-powered offense. With Kareem Hunt out of the picture in Kansas City, LeSean McCoy could get a significant amount of touches in Week 1 because he’s familiar with Andy Reid’s offense.
The Jaguars defense has always been dominant stopping the pass. They boast the league’s best starting cornerback tandem in Ramsey and A.J. Bouye. The Jaguar’s run defense, while still being quite respectable, has been more susceptible to being attacked. With the loss of Telvin Smith, at least for the year, it will be interesting to watch how effective the Jaguars will be when it comes to stopping the run this season.
