The Jacksonville Jaguars’ odds of beating the Kansas City Chiefs don’t look particularly encouraging. They’re a 9.5-point underdog in what might be their toughest matchup of the 2022 season. But that doesn’t mean they will give up without a fight.
On the days preceding the game, head coach Doug Pederson told the media that this game will show how far the Jags have come this season.
“It’s one of the benchmark games, Pederson said. “You’re going against a team that’s been one of the top in the AFC and obviously won a Super Bowl here recently and it’s a challenge to go on the road. It’s a great place to play, it’s loud. The weather is going to be cold, 40 degrees-ish”.
“It’s gonna be a different environment for us but we don’t make any excuses, we just go play and try to gauge where we are against a football team that is pretty good”, Pederson said.
If the Jaguars want to have a shot at pulling off the upset, these five players will need to show out in Week 10.
No. 5 Jaguars player who must shine vs. the Chiefs: Andrew Wingard, S
Safety Andrew Wingard was a starter for most of the 2021 season but he’s hardly had any snaps on defense this season. That changed in Week 9, when Rayshawn Jenkins left with a concussion.
Wingard took Jenkin’s place in the lineup and helped the Jags beat the Raiders. Jenkins is currently in the NFL’s concussion protocols and if he isn’t cleared for Sunday, Wingard will most likely get the start.
The player known as Dewey told the media that facing the Chiefs will be a good challenge and believes the Jaguars’ defense will be ready for it.
“If you’re gonna contend in the AFC, you’re gonna have to go play Kansas City in January February, when it’s cold, Wingard said. “And if you don’t love the challenge, get off the train and I know all these guys in the locker. We’re really a cohesive unit and we’re tied together mentally and we all think that, so I’m fired up”.
Wingard had a missed tackle rate of 21 percent in 2021. His fundamentals will need to be on point against the Chiefs’ top-rated offense if the Jaguars want to avoid giving up big plays.
No. 4 Jaguars who must shine vs. the Chiefs: Devin Lloyd, LB
Not long ago, Jaguars tight end Evan Engram called Travis Kelce the best ever, and nobody batted an eye. There are many good NFL tight ends in the NFL right now but none are nearly as good as the former Cincinnati Bearcat.
Kelce is currently on pace to log his seventh straight 1,000-yard season and by the end of his career, he could rank third in passing yards among tight ends in the All-Time list. The Jaguars might need to double him all game long if they want to slow him down but rookie linebacker Devin Lloyd might be tasked with covering a significant amount of snaps, which might be a tough tall.
Lloyd has played well for most of the year but has struggled in coverage at times. His giving up an 85.5 percent completion rate when targeted this season and his Pro Football Focus coverage grade sits at 37.2. That won’t cut it versus Kelce.
No. 3 Jaguars who must shine vs. the Chiefs: Josh Allen, OLB
Defensive end Dawuane Smoot has been the Jaguars’ most productive pass rusher in Week 10. He’ll need to come up big against the Chiefs but Jacksonville will also need outside linebacker Josh Allen to show out.
While it’s true that Allen often has often faced double teams this season and opposing offenses usually scheme against him, he hasn’t made nearly big enough plays, which is what the top edge rushers do. The 2019 first-round pick will need to get after Patrick Mahomes and disrupt him as much as possible in Week 10, which is probably easier said than done.
No. 2 Jaguars who must shine vs. the Chiefs: Travis Etienne: RB
More often than not, taking a running back in the first round of the draft is a bad investment, and choosing Travis Etienne 25th overall last year seemed like a baffling decision at the time but the Jaguars are surely pleased they did.
Although Etienne missed his rookie campaign with a Lisfranc injury, he’s become a mainstay of the Jaguars’ offense in his sophomore year. He’s currently third in the league with 680 yards and should have no trouble eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in the upcoming weeks.
Head coach Doug Pederson told the media during the week that Etienne’s workload might decrease but the Jaguars’ will need to lean on him if they want to beat the Chiefs.
No. 1 Jaguars who must shine vs. the Chiefs, Trevor Lawrence, QB
You could make the case that Trevor Lawrence is the Jekyll and Hyde of NFL quarterbacks. He will play poorly one week and bounce back the next. He’s certainly made strides in Year 2 but he’s also played a role in some of the Jaguars’ losses this season.
Lawrence had a productive outing against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9, completing 80.65 percent of his passes for 235 yards with one touchdown. It’s hard to see him having a similar performance against a vastly better Chiefs team but he’ll need to avoid being overaggressive and turning the ball over f the Jags want to come out of Arrowhead Stadium with a win.
The coaching staff also needs to scheme a few designed runs for Lawrence. He had success running the ball against the Raiders, toting the rock six times for 53 yards.