Jacksonville Jaguars had better start fast vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Jacksonville Jaguars showed resolve when they beat the Angeles Chargers in Super Wild Card Weekend. Down 27-0, they managed to rebound and win 31-30. That marked the third time in the 2022 NFL season that the Jags came back from a 17-point deficit to win a game. They will next face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs and the last thing they want is to get off to a slow start.

The Chiefs led the league in both points scored and total yards in 2022. Jacksonville already lost to them 27-17 in Week 10. Once Kansas City got ahead on the scoreboard, the Jags couldn’t keep up, so they might want to avoid trailing early in the game. Head coach Doug Pederson met with the local media Monday and said that in spite of the team’s ability to bounce back from a large deficit, it’s always better to play with a lead.

“You definitely want to play with a lead,” Pederson said. “Sometimes, you get down, so maybe now your attention, your focus is heightened, right? As coaches, we say all the time, we need to start fast and finish faster. I would much rather coach with a lead than being 27 down. But it’s just one play at a time, right? That’s the mentality and the ball has to go your way just a little bit in moments like that, and we were fortunate it did”.

The first time the Jags came back from a 17-point deficit in the 2022 season was against the Las Vegas Raiders and the second one was against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. Similarly, Jacksonville was 2-6 following their loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 8 but was able to finish 9-7, win the AFC South and advance to the playoffs.

The Jaguars can’t again rely on their ability to come back vs. the Chiefs

The Jaguars are built to not give up and keep fighting until the end. Their resolve is one of the big reasons they finished the year with a winning record and beat the Chargers in the playoffs. Having said that, they can’t over-rely on their ability to bounce back from large deficits.

After all, Kansas City isn’t like the teams the Jags have beaten. They have the most dynamic offense in the league. Moreover, head coach Andy Reid won’t allow the Chiefs to blow a lead the way Brandon Staley (Los Angeles), Josh McDaniels (Raiders), or Mike McCarthy (Cowboys) did in the regular season.

The Jags will need to show up at Arrowhead Stadium with their A-game if they want to have a shot at pulling off the upset. While they’ve proven no margin is large enough, it would be a good idea to get off to a strong start against the Chiefs.