Jaguars 26, Chiefs 13: Jacksonville Leaves Preseason Opener With a Win

The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 23-13 in their 2024 preseason opener at EverBank Stadium, with Travis Etienne scoring a touchdown on the Jaguars' first drive of the game.

Trevor Lawrence finished the game 3-of-4 for 42 yards and a touchdown, while the Jaguars' starting defense limited the Chiefs' starters to three points.

The Chiefs scored on their first possession thanks to a 16-yard run by Isiah Pacheco and 3-of-4 passing for 27 yards from Patrick Mahomes, though a third-down drop by Rashee Rice led to a 45-yard field goal from Harrison Butker.

Parker Washington then took the Jaguars' first new kickoff 73 yards, returning it to the Jaguars' 20-yard line after making several defenders miss and picking up big blocks from Chad Muma and Tank Bigsby. A few plays later, Trevor Lawrence hit Travis Etienne on an angle route out of the backfield for a nine-yard touchdown.

Washington's return, as of this writing, is the longest kickoff return this preseason.

After forcing a Chiefs punt thanks to a second-down sack from Yasir Abdullah, the Jaguars starters went out for a second offensive drive. After a solid gain over the middle of the field by Gabe Davis, the Jaguars' running game stalled and a third-down attempt to Davis was ruled out of bounds. Lawrence was then sacked on fourth down by linebacker Jack Cochrane.

Jacksonville's defense then forced a three-and-out, leading to backup quarterback C.J. Beathard entering the game. After missing his first attempt to Brian Thomas Jr., the rookie receiver hauled in a 41-yard catch against tight coverage for the first highlight-reel play of the preseason.

Fellow Jaguars rookie Cam Little then got the Jaguars on the board with a 40-yard field goal, giving the Jaguars a 10-3 lead before the Chiefs tied the game with 1:55 left in the first half after a Carson Steele touchdown on fourth down.

Beathard then led an end of half drive for a score, connecting with Devin Duvernay for a 35-yard touchdown with 26 seconds to take an 18-10 lead. The Jaguars then recorded a safety on the ensuing kickoff thanks to a mistake from the Chiefs, giving the Jaguars a 20-10 lead.

The second half saw Little hit a 47-yard field goal, giving the Jaguars a 23-10 lead before the Chiefs fired back with a field goal of their own.