The Jacksonville Jaguars had a chance to show they were one of the best teams in the NFL when they welcomed the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2. Although they scored first and their defense kept them in the game in the first half, they couldn't muster anything on offense and ultimately lost 17-9.
You have to give credit to the Chiefs, they took away the Jaguars' ability to take downfield shots, which forced the Jags to use the short passing game. Not surprisingly, Trevor Lawrence averaged fewer than 6.0 yards per attempt in the game. The ground attack wasn't much better.
Even though Jacksonville made an effort to establish the run, the Chiefs' front four, led by defensive tackle Chris Jones, made it difficult to get anything going. This added pressure on Trevor Lawrence to come through but he and the rest of the offense fell flat. Not everything was doom and gloom though, here are three players who stepped up and two that didn't against Kansas City in Week 2.
No. 3 player who stepped up vs. the Chiefs in Week 2: Christian Kirk, WR
Christian Kirk was the Jaguars' top receiver in 2022, leading the team in catches, touchdowns and receiving yards. This is why it might've been odd at first to see him finish the oneper with just one catch for nine yards. A deeper look showed that the Indianapolis Colts did a good job of limiting his impact.
Against the Chiefs in Week 2, Kirk had his first 100-yard game of the season. He caught 11 receptions for 110 yards although he would've probably preferred to get the win. Meanwhile, Calvin Ridley was covered throughout most of the game and finished with two receptions for 32 yards. Expect this trend to continue in upcoming weeks: The Jags will probably have a different receiver leader every week depending on the matchup.
No. 2 player who stepped up vs. the Chiefs in Week 2: Andre Cisco, S
Early in the first quarter, safety Andre Cisco had a chance to get an interception off Patrick Mahomes and take it to the house. He had an open path to the end zone and not many players to take him down. However, his timing failed and jumped before he should've. The ball touched the tip of his fingers in what was one of the biggest missed opportunities in the first quarter. That said, Cisco later made up for it, intercepting a pass in the second quarter.
Travon Walker leveled Patrick Mahomes on the INT by Andre Cisco pic.twitter.com/CJ3arL5xbe
— Andrew Gibson (@1010XLAG) September 17, 2023
At one point, Cisco had to leave the field because of cramps but he was one of the Jaguars' most consistent defenders throughout the game, even if his final statline doesn't look that great (two total tackles, one interception, two passes defensed).
No. 1 player who stepped up vs. the Chiefs in Week 2: Foyesade Oluokun, LB
It's no mistake that teammates named Foyesade Oluokun a team captain for the second straight year. Although he was disappointed for the loss, he didn't point fingers and said that everyone needs to do a better job of executing. That's what you want your leaders to do, pick up the slack and the defense precisely picked up the slack throughout most of the game.
The Jags limited the Chiefs' high-powered offense to just seven points before halftime. Things went off the rails in the second half but Oluokun was seen often in close vicinity to the football. The Yale product finished the game with 11 tackles and a fumble recovery.
No. 2 who had a rough day vs. the Chiefs in Week 2: Ben Bartch, OL
One of the biggest storylines of the offseason was whether left guard Ben Bartch would be ready to for the opener. Bartch, a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft, dislocated his knee and spent the months preceding the regular season working on being ready for Week 1.
Bartch fared well in the opener, but he had trouble to either open running lanes or giving Trevor Lawrence enough time to throw. That said, he wasn't the only Jaguars' offensive lineman who struggled against the Chiefs. Anton Harrison, who had the Herculean task of slowing down Chris Jones, had a rough outing for the second straight week.
Having said that, the Jaguars overall did a subpar job of performing up to task, so don't think of Bartch as a scapegoat. The group will have their work cut out heading into Week 3.
No. 1 who had a rough out vs. the Chiefs in Week 2: Zay Jones, WR
Zay Jones posted career numbers in 2022 and he picked up where he left off last year, hauling in five receptions for 55 yards with a touchdown in the opener. However, he had a day to forget against the Chiefs. He had two chances to reach the end zone but couldn't get both feet in. To make matters worse, he finished the game without a single reception even though he was targeted six times.
Granted, Jones wasn't the only player that Trevor Lawrence missed inside the 20-yard line. Lawrence went 0-of-7 in the red zone per NextGen Stats. That's the most red-zone attempts without a completion since Brett Favre in 2006 against the Lions.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence went 0-of-7 passing in the red zone Sunday. That's the most red-zone attempts without a completion since Brett Favre in 2006 against the Lions (also 0-of-7). Per @ESPNStatsInfo
— Michael DiRocco (@ESPNdirocco) September 17, 2023
Yikes! Nevertheless, Jones had a couple chances to get the Jaguars ahead on the scoreboard but came short. The Jags will need to get back to the drawing board Monday and see what went wrong against the Chiefs.