Underdog Jaguars Eye Massive Monday Night Upset vs. Chiefs

Despite everything they've shown in their 3-1 start to the 2025 NFL season, there's still a ton of hesitancy from the world when it comes to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s not as if that isn’t deserved to some extent. This franchise hasn't exactly been a proven winner historically.

Even this season, their victories haven't been overwhelmingly convincing either. The Houston Texans were driving with a chance to tie the game when C.J. Stroud threw a pick to put the nail in the coffin. The defense also forced a fumble to seal the win against the San Francisco 49ers, 26-21.

The Jaguars' formula of notching multiple defensive takeaways in each game and running their opponents into the ground doesn't feel very sustainable, while Trevor Lawrence, Brian Thomas Jr., and the rest of the passing attack's struggles suggest that this team might not be able to compete if its defense takes a step back at any point.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Etienne Jr. — Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) runs onto the field with teammates. The Jaguars led 20 to 10 at the end of the first half. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in the Jaguars first preseason game of the season Saturday, August10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] | Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Can the Jaguars prove their doubters wrong?

At the same time, the Jacksonville Jaguars could easily be undefeated right now, had they capitalized on a few more of their offensive chances in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals, or simply not given up a 90-yard, game-winning drive to backup quarterback Jake Browning.

While Jacksonville's passing game has been severely uninspiring, it has been trending up, and the NFL should be on the lookout for what this team could do once it's firing on all cylinders. Apparently, not many expect them to be able to cross their t's and dot their i's against the Kansas City Chiefs for Monday Night Football.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes — Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes (15) leads Carson Wentz (11) and Ian Book (2) before a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 26-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

No one siding with the Jaguars

NFL.com's panel of editors all picked the Chiefs to win with an average margin of victory of 5.4 points. Ali Bhanpuri stated that it comes down to the lopsided expectations between quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence:

"Assuming No. 15 is able to work his magic, per usual, I expect defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to clamp down on Jacksonville's run game, forcing Trevor Lawrence to consistently win through the air -- something the fifth-year pro has struggled to do so far this season. If this game rests on the shoulders of the two QBs, as I expect it to, I'll take Mahomes' right arm 10 times out of 10."

Patrick Mahomes put up a VINTAGE performance vs. Ravens

🔥 25/37
🔥 270 passing yards
🔥 4 TDs pic.twitter.com/dJYy3Jxmy4
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) September 28, 2025

Meanwhile, ESPN's experts went 3-3 on siding with Kansas City, too, although they expect a much closer game with an average difference of just 2.33 points. Michael DiRocco stated that Head Coach Liam Coen stressed to his defense not to lose hope against Mahomes:

"One of the things being stressed to the defensive players this week: Don't get discouraged. QB Patrick Mahomes is an escape artist who can turn a bad play into a huge gain with an off-schedule throw from a weird arm angle. It's going to happen at least once, but the key is to forget about it immediately when it does."

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