Who Wins This Matchup Could Decide Monday’s Chiefs-Jaguars Showdown

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Last week, Andy Reid said the Chiefs were balancing Jawaan Taylor’s strong pass-blocking skills against his penchant for penalties. While the starting right tackle still leads the NFL with seven flags, he played his first penalty-free game last week.

More concern this week is the player he figures to see most across the line of scrimmage: Josh Hines-Allen. While he has just one-half sack this season, the Jaguars’ edge rusher ranks third among NFL players in true pressure rate.

Perfect build for defensive end

Taylor, meanwhile, has graded out at 56.9 percent in 180 pass-blocking snaps this year. Per Pro Football Focus, that’s 67th among 109 offensive tackles in 2025. But the veteran has yet to allow a sack. And Taylor’s ability to neutralize Hines-Allen figures to loom large when the Chiefs (2-2) and Jaguars (3-1) clash on Monday Night Football (7:15 p.m. CT, ESPN/ABC, KMBC Ch. 9, 96.5 The Fan).

“He’s just kept the perfect build for a defensive end,” Mahomes said Thursday. “I mean, just fast, he's tall, he just has a great variety of pass-rush moves, and then he can drop in coverage if necessary as well.

“And so, he's done a great job in this league for a couple of years now. And so, I think he's kind of in that perfect moment where he's kind of a veteran, and kind of knows the veteran stuff, but still has the athletic ability to make stuff happen as well. And so great football player that will account for on every play.”

jawaan taylor, von mille — Sep 29, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (58) pass rushes at Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor (75) in the fourth quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Former Jaguars teammates

Monday’s matchup between Taylor and Hines-Allen isn’t a typical one-on-one contest. In the 2019 draft, those players were Jacksonville’s first two selections. The Jaguars took Hines-Allen seventh overall, then picked Taylor at the top of Round 2 (35th overall).

Teammates for their first four seasons, they were in Jacksonville when the team surprised everyone with a storybook run to the 2022 playoffs. That road ended in the Divisional Round at Arrowhead Stadium. Shortly afterward, Taylor signed a four-year, $80 million deal with the Chiefs in free agency.

josh hines-alle — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) looks on during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hines-Allen said this week that he’s preparing just as normally does, even though he's facing an adversary he's known since they lined up against each other at rival SEC schools in college.

“Obviously, continue to do what I do throughout the week, prepare the right way,” said Hines-Allen, who has 53½ career sacks. “Make sure my body's ready to go, understand the gameplan that we got going, matchups, and understand who we're playing against. And just, when the ball snaps, start to get in that zone and just play football, obviously.”

josh hines-allen, patrick mahome — Nov 13, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is sacked by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Josh Allen (41) during the second half of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has squared off against Hines-Allen on three occasions, all with Kansas City. Nagy saw the Pro Bowl defensive end twice in 2022 and the Chiefs’ last visit to Jacksonville, in 2023. Nagy said Hines-Allen is different than the typical edge rusher.

“Playing him over the years,” Nagy said Friday, “powerful, savvy, experience, strong, quick … Like every superlative you can think of, it's him. And so, ton of respect. We got to know where he's at on every play.”

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