Chiefs Still Riding High Despite MNF Loss to Jaguars

The Kansas City Chiefs' resurgence was abruptly cut off in Duval, as they were upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road on a national stage in Monday Night Football. Despite the loss, the Chiefs showed some strong signs of promise for their prospects in the remainder of the 2025 NFL season.

Ultimately, they fell victim to a game-winning drive from Trevor Lawrence, who marched his team down to take the lead 31-28 with one of the most unlikely, unprecedented touchdowns in league history. Had a few plays gone their way, the Chiefs would be sitting at 3-2 with an impressive win over an upstart Jaguars squad with home-field advantage.

Instead, they're now 2-3 and facing another daunting matchup with the Detroit Lions in Week 6. Even in their loss in Jacksonville, they showed that their offensive bounce-back is legitimate, dropping 28 points on one of the best defenses in the NFL this season. Because of that, they're still being paid some goodwill for their upcoming game against the Lions.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Kansas City Chiefs, Xavier Worthy — Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne (1) slides to the back of the end zone during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars edged the Kansas City Chiefs 31-28. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Chiefs must prove that they're still contenders

With back-to-back strong offensive performances against the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, the Kansas City Chiefs have shown that they can still be explosive and lethal on the attack with Patrick Mahomes at the helm. This team has proven that they can put up points in a hurry with Xavier Worthy back to take the top off of opposing defenses.

Now, they have another opportunity to do so against another top defensive unit this season. If they can have a convincing performance versus the Detroit Lions, there will be no doubt that this Chiefs offense is ready to compete for another Super Bowl.

#Lions QB Jared Goff is 2-0 in matchups against Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs for his career. Including the playoffs, Goff is the only QB against whom Mahomes has started multiple times and hasn’t beaten. “I’ve been on the right side of 2 of them,” Goff said. pic.twitter.com/jbd0td7vhq
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) October 8, 2025

The defense is another story. They were expected to take some significant steps back on that side of the ball due to some key personnel losses in the offseason. Through the first four weeks, they were surprisingly effective, though. However, the Jaguars were able to move the ball quite easily against them. Had it not been for a questionable fumble call at the goal line on Trevor Lawrence trying to reach over the pile for a touchdown, the Chiefs would have given up 31 points and 319 yards to Jacksonville.

Now, they face their toughest test against a Lions attack that's been rolling, averaging over 40 points per game in the last four weeks. FanDuel has set the over/under for this Sunday Night Football showdown at 52.5 points. Kansas City is slightly favored at home, listed at -138 on the moneyline, with 2.5 points against them on the spread. Clearly, this team is still perceived as in the upper echelon.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Find us on X (Twitter) @KCChiefsOnSI and @Domminchella to follow along with all of the Chiefs' odds throughout this year's campaign.

Click here to let us know your thoughts on the Chiefs' chances against the Lions when you like our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.