Jaguars make plays but not enough to beat Chiefs in Week 10

More often than not, registering two takeaways and recovering an onside kick would considerably increase an NFL team’s chances of winning a football game. However, it wasn’t nearly enough to help the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10. Even though the Jags made several plays, they also made several mistakes which is why they lost 27-17.

Things looked favorably for the Jaguars thanks to Riley Patterson’s onside kick recovery. Although the offense didn’t manage to score on their first possession of the game, they quickly got the ball back after rookie linebacker Devin Lloyd scooped a forced fumble by safety Rayshawn Jenkins.

But that was one of the defense’s lone bright spots of the game, as the unit had no answer for a Chiefs’ offense that was operating at full steam. Wide receivers Kadarius Tooney, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Marques Valdez-Scatling were often left open, and Jacksonville’s front seven struggled to pressure Patrick Mahomes, which gave him plenty of time to throw the ball. In fact, they failed to register a single sack.

Although Trevor Lawrence had a productive game, going 29-of-40 for 259 yards with two touchdowns. He avoided turning the ball over and usually made good decisions, the Jaguars’ offensive line allowed five sacks, and their wide receivers dropped several passes.

Also, Kansas City’s defense was able to slow down running back Travis Etienne, who was coming off three straight 100-yard games but only mustered 45 yards on 11 carries in Week 10. Looking back, it feels like the Chiefs made it a priority to stop the former Clemson Tiger and forced the Jags to beat them through the air. All things considered, the strategy paid off.

The Jaguars couldn’t keep up with the Chiefs, have a long way to go

Devin Lloyd wasn’t the only Jaguars defender that forced a turnover against the Chiefs. Andre Cisco, who laid a couple of big hits, also picked Patrick Mahomes in the fourth quarter. However, it felt inconsequential because Jacksonville was down 17 points at that point in the game.

Christian Kirk went on to score his second touchdown of the game after Cisco’s interception but the Jaguars’ still lost 27-17. All things considered, this wasn’t a close game, and the Jags showed they’ve still got a long way to go before they go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the league. The offense went 4-of-14 in third downs and had at least three drops. On the other hand, the defense struggled to stop Mahomes and their high rate of missed tackles didn’t help matters.

One week after beating the Las Vegas Raiders, the Jags came crashing down against the Chiefs. On the bright side, they’ll have a BYE in Week 11, which will allow them to get back to the drawing board, rest, and prepare to face off against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12.