Four Takeaways From the Chiefs' 27-17 Win Over the Jaguars
Already having a pair of strange games against the AFC South under their belt this season, the Kansas City Chiefs carried those vibes into the halftime locker room against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars. Once things got going their way in half No. 2, though, there was never serious doubt about the outcome of the game.
Behind their defense stepping up for the most part and the offense scoring plenty of points, the Chiefs won by a final score of 27-17 in front of the home crowd. With the win, Kansas City rises to 7-2 on the season and is in the driver's seat in the AFC West while also keeping pace atop the AFC.
Here are four takeaways from Week 10's game.
1. Kadarius Toney has officially arrived
It didn't take long for wide receiver Kadarius Toney to make his presence felt on the field in Kansas City, as he had a pair of catches in just nine snaps last week against the Tennessee Titans. In his second game as a Chief, he accounted for 90 scrimmage yards and also scored his very first NFL touchdown. Considering that the team still doesn't get Skyy Moore involved much in the offense over two months into the year, the fact that Toney is already making a huge impact is astounding.
An honorable mention shout goes to rookie running back Isiah Pacheco. After a first-quarter fumble, the seventh-round pick bounced back and ended up putting together a very solid series of runs for the Chiefs. In all, the former Rutgers standout recorded 82 on 16 carries and was the team's preferred running back throughout the game. Veteran Jerick McKinnon remains a favorite in the passing game but if Pacheco keeps running the ball effectively, he'll continue to get a good workload.
2. Patrick Mahomes put on a show
Aside from a fourth-quarter interception that was a classic case of a talented quarterback with a huge lead trying to do a bit too much, it's hard to poke holes in the resume of tape Patrick Mahomes put out there against the Jaguars. Not only did he spread the ball around on offense and make plays with his legs, but he also worked in conjunction with his offensive line (that had a good game overall) to dice Jacksonville up from the pocket. Mahomes entered Sunday as a leading candidate for this year's MVP award, and he only added to that case by tossing four touchdowns. No. 15 continues to do No. 15 things for Kansas City.
3. The Chiefs' defense sent a statement
The final box score is a mixed bag, but Steve Spagnuolo's group did several positive things against the Jaguars. The elephant in the room early in the week was finding a way to slow down standout young running back Travis Etienne and by holding him under 50 rushing yards, that's exactly what the Chiefs did. Additionally, a Jacksonville offensive line that hadn't surrendered many sacks all year long gave up five of them. Playing from behind forced the Jaguars to throw almost all afternoon, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence wasn't anything special. That's a massive win for the Chiefs' defense.
4. Special teams remain a big problem
Even with a relatively convincing win, not everything was a plus for the Chiefs. Dave Toub's special teams unit, once again, made multiple mistakes that could come back to bite the team against better opponents. Poor return coverage on at least one occasion, a bad kickoff return attempt from Moore, a missed extra point by Butker and a fumble by Jody Fortson were just a few immediate things to bring up. Toub has earned a reputation as one of the best special teams coordinators in the entire NFL and he's relying on a lot of youth to get the job done, but these shortcomings won't fly come playoff time. Things must be cleaned up in the third phase of the game for Kansas City if the team wants to get to and win a Super Bowl.
