Jaguars vs. Chiefs: Week 2 Staff Predictions
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a little over 24 hours away from one of their biggest games of the season: a Week 2 rematch with the defending Super Bowl Champions.
The Kansas City Chiefs knocked the Jaguars out of the divisional round in a 27-20 win, but what does the Jaguar Report staff predict happens this time around?
John Shipley (1-0)
Prediction: I have gone back and forth on this one all week ... but I ultimately went with the Jaguars in my weekly picks and I am sticking with my gut. I think Trevor Lawrence has (another) national coming-out party on Saturday. The addition of Calvin Ridley has helped Lawrence unlock the vertical aspect of his game and the cyborg quarterback looked incredibly efficient and accurate last week.
As for the Jaguars' defense, I don't think they can keep pace with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce ... but I do think they can force a turnover or two to give the Jaguars a chance to steal points.
Jaguars 31, Chiefs 30.
Kyle Nash (1-0)
Prediction: With payback on the minds of the Duval Devout, the Jags' roster of offensive skill players facing Parick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs high-powered offense (with or without all-time great tight end Travis Kelce) have the stage set for a Hollywood-western-style shootout. Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence are sure to be slinging passes at a clip that will strike terror into defenses all over the NFL.
Yet with all that in mind, the big factor that leaps off the page is actually in the trenches. The Chiefs' star defensive tackle Chris Jones has signed a contract to return to action after holding out of the week one loss to Detroit. Meanwhile, Jacksonville's interior offensive line has been banged up with this daunting task looming over the horizon. It's this particular mismatch that keeps Jacksonville out of the end zone one time too many as the Chiefs put up 27 for the fourth straight time against the Jags who will put up only 24 leaving both clubs with a 1-1 record.
Chiefs 27, Jaguars 24.
Evan Reier (1-0)
Prediction: The Jaguars are going to score. They are going to get scored on. Expect a large amount of work for Travis Etienne, Jacksonville should be consistently using him to keep the Chiefs defense off-balanced, both through outside runs and on underneath routes. However, the Chiefs offense and Patrick Mahomes have something to prove and it's hard to see them not scoring often. Mahomes puts together a late drive for the W.
Chiefs 31, Jaguars 27.
Jackson Dilullo (1-0)
Prediction: After an exciting week one victory over the Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars return home to face the (surprisingly) 0-1 Kansas City Chiefs. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be looking to rebound with the return of tight end Travis Kelce from an ankle injury sustained before opening day. The Jaguars offense will look really good for stretches of this one, but ultimately their defense will prove incapable of limiting the All Pro-calibre connection. With the expected losses of interior offensive linemen Brandon Scherff and Luke Fortner—and the return of Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones—the Jaguars will likely find themselves down early, forcing quarterback Trevor Lawrence to throw them back in it.
I’ve got the Chiefs in a back-and-forth, 38-35 win over the Jags. For what it’s worth, I also expect a monstrous stat line for Lawrence. Start him in fantasy.
Chiefs 38, Jaguars 35.
Daniel Griffis (1-0)
Prediction:
The Jaguars started off on the right foot last week with a win against a young Colts roster, however, there were certainly things to clean up. The Chiefs lost a hard-fought battle against the Lions on opening night and walk into Jacksonville 0-1. With the return of Travis Kelce and Chris Jones, this will be a Chiefs team ready to rebound. This might just be a playoff preview, however, it’s hard to imagine the Chiefs starting out 0-2. Kelce and Jones make the difference here. Chiefs win in a close one.
Chiefs 30, Jaguars 24.
Zach Schultz (1-0)
Prediction: The Chiefs get Travis Kelce back after missing Week 1 and their offense needs him back badly. I fully expect the Chiefs offense to be in top form this weekend following a loss to the Lions and getting Kelce back only helps their cause. They also happen to be returning Chris Jones. Even on limited snaps, he makes me nervous after seeing what the Colts did to the Jaguars interior offensive line.
On the Jaguars side, I see the offense going toe-for-toe with the Chiefs. They held their own in the playoffs at Arrowhead without Calvin Ridley. The team seems more than ready for the task. Ultimately I think this game comes down to a team making a play late. I look for Lawrence to spread the ball more this weekend, Kelce to catch a ton of balls, and Chris Jones to make himself noticed. My heart says the Jaguars pull it off but my brain says Chiefs as Andy Reid is 17-2 as a head coach after a bye week or Thursday night football.
Chiefs 33, Jaguars 30
Arnav Sharma (1-0)
Prediction: The Kansas City Chiefs are the easy pick for the winner... almost too easy though.
Despite showing cracks in the armor in week one against the Detroit Lions, the Chiefs will enter their second game with three major reinforcements: All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, and an egregiously manufactured post-loss underdog complex.
On paper, there is no way the Jacksonville Jaguars should win this. The odds reflect this too, with 68% of bets going Kansas City's way. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes should be much more comfortable marching the ball downfield with Kelce's return, and this should theoretically be enough to assuage any current growing pains as the offense adjusts from its 2022 to its 2023 iteration.
However, the Jaguars have all the tools to pull off a head-turning upset. The most notable of these is quarterback Trevor Lawrence who, through one week, played like the best quarterback in the NFL. The Jacksonville offense could very easily find itself in a shootout -- but unlike previous seasons, they legitimately have the firepower to win in such a scenario.
The Kansas City secondary does not have a corner who can match up one-on-one with receiver Calvin Ridley, or a lengthy corner who can match receiver Zay Jones' jumpball ability. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, known for his exotic blitz packages out of a middle-of-field-closed look (i.e. Cover 1/Cover 3 shells) will test the limits of Lawrence's mental development heading into year three. If Lawrence can consistently hit his keys and read potentially lethal mismatches (e.g. tight end Evan Engram matched up in man coverage against a linebacker), the Kansas City defense could collapse and the Jaguars could surprise the football world.
Final: Jaguars 31, Chiefs 28
