To Beat Jaguars, Chiefs Must Improve in This Crucial Area

The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football. Both franchises have been hot of late, with the Chiefs winning two straight and the Jaguars defeating the San Francisco 49ers in a 26-21 battle. But for Chiefs fans, ending the Jaguars' winning streak at one is doable.

The Chiefs have started to find their mojo again, scoring over 20 points in their last two games. The return of wide receiver Xavier Worthy truly opened up Patrick Mahomes to do more with the football, which is something to pay attention to when the Chiefs hit the road to take on Jacksonville.

Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Hollywood Brown (5) celebrates after the game against the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

However, the Jaguars' offense has shown a weakness early on in their campaign, residing in the lack of passing the football and an explosive amount of rushing. Going into the Week 5 battle, the Jaguars average around 204.5 passing yards a game, but rank within the top 5 in the National Football League in rushing per game, with 144 average yards.

How the Chiefs Can Defeat Jacksonville

The answer is pretty clear: the Chiefs' defense has to force Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence to resort to his passing game, rather than handing the football off. Which means the Chiefs have to take a lead early and force Lawrence to make plays.

Thus far into the campaign, Lawrence has five passing touchdowns and four interceptions. This could be the blueprint to follow for Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, especially seeing how often Jacksonville runs the football.

Jaguars' Offensive Attack Works with Chiefs' Defensive Weakness

Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne (1) carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Thus far this season, the Chiefs' defense as a whole has held its opponents to an average of 312 net yards per game, highly eliminating passing success, as they have averaged 185.8 passing net yards against. But with the Jaguars' offensive attack being ground-based thus far, the Chiefs' defense will have to adjust.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Chiefs' run defense has been their biggest weakness on the defensive side of the ball to start the year. Their best performance when it came to defending the run was against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, earning an overall grade of 60.1.

Sep 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis (56) and defensive back Chamarri Conner (27) and linebacker Nick Bolton (32) tackle New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) in the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Travis Etienne has been a force with the football in his grasp this season for Jacksonville, and if the Chiefs want to find a way to victory, they're going to have to overcome their biggest weakness on defense, while maintaining a consistent offensive attack, much like they have in recent games.

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