The Chiefs will look to start the 2019 season strong with a victory over the Jaguars.
Kansas City has won 5-of-6 Week 1 game under coach Andy Reid. With every new season comes more creative wrinkles to the Chiefs’ offense in which other NFL teams often try to imitate. Reid has mentioned he has cooked up some special plays specifically for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Let’s take a look at the keys for a K.C. victory over Jacksonville.
Jump out to an early lead
The Jaguars aren’t built to come from behind. They need to establish the running game and play ball-control offense to be successful. Quarterback Nick Foles is at his best when thriving off play-action in a clean pocket. If he has to put the offense on his back and throw the ball all over the field, the result will be multiple turnovers for the K.C. defense.
The goal should be to jump out to an early lead and force the Jaguars to play from behind. They won’t be able to play within their comfort zone or keep pace with the Chiefs in a shootout.
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Fundamental tackling
This may seem basic, but anyone who has closely watched the Chiefs’ defense the last couple of seasons knows how crucial fundamental tackling is. The Jaguars want to be a run-first, smash-mouth offense that feeds off the running game with play-action. To shut that down you have to wrap up and play with good fundamentals.
Leonard Fournette is one of the most physical running backs in the NFL and is a load to take down. The Chiefs’ front seven must stay disciplined and wrap him up because arm tackles are not going to cut it. The defensive line needs to control the line of scrimmage so the linebackers can be in attack mode.
If the Chiefs’ defense still has issues with its fundamentals, the Jags will be able to control the clock and hit big plays down the field off play-action. This will keep the K.C. offense sidelined and Mahomes on the bench.
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Secondary must be mentally sharp
It’s no secret that the rules in today’s NFL favor the offense, specifically quarterbacks and receivers. Even the best defensive backs are going to give up big plays from time to time. One thing they can control, however, is knowing their assignments and not getting beat mentally.
This will be crucial for the K.C. secondary, which suffered from more than a few lapses in coverage last season. The Chiefs brought in defensive backs such as Tyrann Mathieu and Bashaud Breeland to be veteran leaders in the secondary and help the young guys know their assignments. If the DB’s don’t know their assignments and blow coverages it won’t matter how great the defensive line might be.
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Minimize penalties
Last season the Chiefs led the NFL in the number of penalties called (137) and penalty yards surrendered (1,152). Offensively, it’s pretty amazing to think how great they were despite all the penalties. How much better could they have been had they cut them down? Defensively, things were tough enough. Penalties became absolute backbreakers.
K.C. could do itself a big favor by reducing penalties. The Jags boast a very good defense, so offensive penalties for the Chiefs will really make things tough. Defensively, the Chiefs will be executing a new scheme, so mistakes are going to happen. If they’re playing with good fundamentals, there won’t be as many penalties.
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Don’t forget about the running game
The Chiefs have weapons galore in the passing game. They’re always going to lean more on the pass than the run, but they shouldn’t let the ratio get too out of control. Staying with the running game will wear down the defense, reduce the potential for turnovers and eat up the clock.
Running back Damien Williams proved his worth last season, averaging 5.1 yards per carry and scoring 10 touchdowns in the final six games. Rookie Darwin Thompson showed his explosiveness and ability to run with balance in the preseason, and the newly acquired LeSean McCoy is one of the best running backs of the past 10 years. The Chiefs could have quite the three-headed monster of a backfield in 2019. They just have to decide to actually use them and not throw the ball on every down.
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