The Jacksonville Jaguars go into Sunday’s match-up with the Kansas City Chiefs as heavy underdogs. Vegas updated their odds Saturday and now have the Jaguars at -3.5.
An upset isn’t completely off the table, but it will have to be a near-perfect game from the Jaguars if they are to come out of this game without a zero in the win column.
With that in mind, here are three keys to victory for the Jaguars as they try and shut down one of the most electric offenses in NFL history:
Win the Turnover Battle
It’s going to be nice for fans to watch a starting-caliber quarterback lead the Jaguars’ offense this season. Hopefully, the team’s turnover deficit will be reduced as a result of having Nick Foles under center.
Of course, the turnover battle isn’t only won on one side of the ball, however. This Jacksonville defense will need to generate turnovers to ensure a win for the home team. A.J Bouye and Jalen Ramsey both secured interceptions in this fixture last year and the Jaguars still lost by 16 points.
It will be vital for the offense to control the ball and avoid giving the Chiefs’ offense extra opportunities to score. The Jags also can’t give the Chiefs short field opportunities. Mistake free football will put the Jags in a position to win a lot of games, but it’s virtually impossible to beat the Chiefs if your offense turns the ball over.
Sack Patrick Mahomes
If the Jaguars don’t disrupt Patrick Mahomes’ rhythm in his first few series it will be incredibly tough to stop the Chiefs scoring points.
Yannick Ngakoue is playing for a contract extension, while seventh-overall pick Josh Allen is hoping to establish one of the best defensive tandems in all of football. A combination of both could prove to be a handful for elite Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who simply can’t block everyone.
The pocket is going to have to collapse around Mahomes early and often if Jacksonville is going to pull off an upset in this one.
Control the Clock
Controlling the clock throughout this game will be vital, which means the Jags will need a big day out of tailback Leonard Fournette to open the season. The last thing any team wants to do is get into a shootout with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo looks to have added a new element to the offense, utilizing Fournette as both a power-runner and a pass-catcher. If the Jaguars can sustain long scoring drives throughout the game, it will give them an edge provided their defense can get off the field quickly.
The defensive unit seeing too much of the field has been the main reason why the Jaguars have lost so many games in recent years. Hopefully, with a new quarterback under center and a big day from their star running back, the team can dictate the pace of this game.
