The Kansas City Chiefs will look to bounce back after a disappointing Week 1 home loss as they travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars.
The Chiefs will get a major boost this week with tight end Travis Kelce expected to return from injury and defensive tackle Chris Jones is back with the team after signing a new contract. K.C. will look to avoid dropping to 0-2 for the first time since 2014.
Buy Chiefs TicketsThe Jaguars are coming off a 31-21 road victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Check out our offseason report on the Jaguars, where you’ll find information about their offseason moves and key players. Now, let’s see what it will take for the Chiefs to get into the win column and knock off Jacksonville.
Chiefs' defense vs. Jaguars' offense
For the first time in his head coaching career, Doug Pederson is not calling the plays on offense. He has entrusted that duty to second-year offensive coordinator Press Taylor, who is the younger brother of Cincinnati Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor.
Pederson and Taylor run a similar version of Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid’s West Coast offense with Pederson having coached under Reid for seven years. Much like the Chiefs, Jacksonville’s offense is about timing routes, sending guys in motion, screens, RPOs, zone-running, frequent substitutions, and timely deep shots downfield.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence took a massive step forward in 2022, ranking in the top 10 in passing yards and touchdowns. He is a big, athletic player who can make all the throws and has a firm grasp of the offensive mentally. One knock on Lawrence, however, is how he struggles against the blitz.
Lawrence threw an interception last week against a heavy blitz and also threw one against the Chiefs in last year’s divisional-round playoff game that sealed that contest. K.C. is an aggressively blitzing defense, so it makes sense that it would continue that against Lawrence. Having Jones back in the mix will help with that tremendously.
Pederson and Taylor will try to take some pressure off of Lawrence by feeding the ball to running back Travis Etienne, who finished ninth in the NFL in rushing last season. Etienne is a workhorse back who runs with a great blend of speed and power. The Chiefs were solid against the run last week, holding the Detroit Lions to 3.5 yards per carry.
Lawrence also has a nice trio of pass catchers to lean on in wide receivers Christian Kirk and Calvin Ridley as well as tight end Evan Engram. Kirk is a crafty route runner with a versatile skill set who can line up out wide or in the slot. Kirk torched the Chiefs last year in two games against them with 16 catches for 157 yards and three touchdowns.
Chiefs’ cornerback Trent McDuffie could match up often with Kirk in this game. Like Kirk, McDuffie is also versatile and has seen increased time in the slot as of late. Ridley is a downfield threat who can win with speed and size and Engram does a good job working the underneath middle of the field.
Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed shadowed the opposing teams’ No. 1 receivers on occasion last year, and that could be the case with Ridley in this matchup. Watch for safeties Justin Reid and Bryan Cook to work against Engram. With Jones back into the fold, linebackers Willie Gay and Drue Tranquill could see more time in coverage. Both have the athleticism to hang with Engram.
Chiefs' offense vs. Jaguars' defense
Mike Caldwell is in his second year as the Jags’ defensive coordinator, with former Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Bob Sutton serving as a senior defensive assistant. Caldwell’s base defense is a 3-4 with a blitz-heavy approach.
He was aggressive in attacking Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson last week as the Jacksonville defense sacked Richardson four times. The Jags have a lot of talent in their front seven. Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun led the NFL in solo and total tackles last season.
Outside linebacker Josh Allen recorded three sacks last week and 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker, who also recorded a sack last week, is developing nicely. Getting the ball out quickly and opening up the run with the short-to-intermediate passing game could be the best strategy for K.C. this week.
Richardson was able to make a few impressive throws against the Jacksonville secondary and completed passes to eight different receivers. Caldwell runs a various mix of zone coverages in his secondary but favors Cover 3 (dividing the deep portion of the field into thirds with two outside cornerbacks and a free safety in the middle).
Tyson Campbell was Pro Football Focus’ sixth-highest graded cornerback last season, but the Jags’ secondary as a whole struggled in 2022, ranking 28th in pass defense. That could provide a golden opportunity for the Chiefs’ wide receiver corps to get on track after struggling mightily last week.
