There's nothing fun about losing and the Jacksonville Jaguars must feel frustrated about dropping their home opener to the Kansas City Chiefs. The fact that it was due mostly to self-inflicted wounds certainly stings. That said, the Jags can't dwell in the past too much.
It wasn't just one thing but rather a combination of factors that held the offense back and limited Jacksonville to nine points. Having said that, the sky isn't falling for the Jaguars just yet. They have ample time to fix things and get back on track. With that in mind, here are three truths and two lies from the Week 2 loss to the Chiefs.
Truth 3: Jaguars WR Christian Kirk is the same player he was in 2022
Calvin Ridley made an impact in his debut with the Jaguars, hauling in eight receptions for 101 yards with one touchdown in the opener. Meanwhile, Christian Kirk, their leading receiver last year, finished the game with just one catch for a measly nine yards. This led to questions about whether he had a poor outing or he was a one-year wonder.
Kirk proved in Week 2 that he was still the same playmaker he was last year, catching 11 receptions for 110 yards against Kansas City. This shouldn't have surprised anyone. The Jaguars have so many weapons on offense that the weekly matchups will determine who ends up with the most receptions. In Week 1, Kirk often saw double coverage while Ridley and tight end Evan Engram had favorable matchups.
Not surprisingly, Ridley and Engram had the most targets. Move forward to Week 2 and the Chiefs made an effort to neutralize Ridley, which left many opportunities for Kirk. Depending on the coverage they see in future games, expect a different player to lead the team in yards/catches each week.
Lie 2: The playcalling cost the Jaguars the win vs. the Chiefs
Prior to the opener, the news broke that offensive coordinator Press Taylor would be calling the plays while head coach Doug Pederson oversaw other areas of the team on game day. In 2022, Taylor took over play-calling in the second half of games, so this seemed like the natural progression. He did a good job last year, so it was fair that he would do it on a full-time basis.
Against the Colts, the Jaguars scored 31 points. However, they only mustered nine against the Chiefs in Week 2, and the play-calling was partially responsible for the team's inability to reach the end zone. Following the game, Pederson defended the decision, emphasizing a need to coach players better.
"Sometimes, it's not about the plays," Pederson said. "We have to coach the plays better, so they guys know what to do, and how to react to what the defense is presenting. But I learned a long time ago that players play this football game and coaches coach. If we coach better, the players will ultimately play better. Starts with us. We're going to value everything and make sure that we're putting our guys in the right places but Press did a nice job today."
Pederson is right. Maybe Taylor could've had a better pass-run ratio but he wasn't the one dropping passes or overthrowing them. The truth is that Trevor Lawrence's accuracy was off, especially in the end zone. Similarly, the receivers weren't able to come down with a couple passes that would've been good for either a first down or a touchdown.
The bottom line is that the Jaguars' offense wasn't good enough in Week 2 and they'll need to do their part to avoid having a game like that moving forward.
Truth 2: The Jaguars offensive line is a potential cause for concern
It's been established that there were many reasons the Jaguars couldn't get anything going offensively in Week 2. Here's another one, one that deserved its own entry and that's the offensive line. Against the Colts, they did a good job of protecting Trevor Lawrence but couldn't open lanes in the running game. In Week 2, they couldn't do either.
Early in the game, they wanted to establish the run, getting Travis Etienne involved in the game plan. You knew the strategy wasn't working when he was averaging less than 2.0 yards per carry. Jacksonville then turned to Trevor Lawrence and the passing game but they also failed to move the ball.
Lawrence certainly deserves some of the blame on a day he wasn't particularly accurate. In fact, he went 0-of-7 in red zone attempts. However, putting all the blame on his shoulders may not be fair, especially when you take into account that his offensive linemen struggled to give him optimal protection throughout the game.
Walker Little was the sole Jaguars offensive lineman who didn't give up a pressure in Week 2. Meanwhile, Brandon Scherff, Anton Harrison, Luke Fortner, and Ben Bartch gave up three each. Being consistently under pressure, Lawrence was forced to get rid of the ball faster than he would've liked, and before routes were fully developed. This led to an average of 4.3 yards per throw.
It's fair to say that the offensive line has their work cut out for Week 3 when the Houston Texans come to town.
Lie 1: K'Lavon Chaisson is set to have a breakout season in 2023
It's not a shocking revelation that outside linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson has failed to live up to his draft billing. In fact, he's consistently popped up on lists of potential trade candidates for the last two years, and rightfully so. Since the Jags drafted him 20th overall in 2020, the former LSU Tiger has only registered three career sacks and has progressively seen less playing time. This led the top brass to decline the fifth-year option on his rookie deal.
Nevertheless, the Jags' faith in Chaisson hasn't wavered. Just before the season, head coach Doug Pederson said he would be No. 3 on the depth chart behind Travon Walker and Josh Allen. Similarly, Pederson said the team expected him to play at a high level. It seems like the team's trust paid off when Swiper registered his first sack of the season against the Chiefs.
Pederson praised Chaisson Monday, noting that he believes he's capable of making those plays. However, not everything was sunshine and flowers for the fourth-year veteran. He also had his fair share of struggles, as analyst Brandon Thorn pointed out.
Chaisson becoming very familiar with the ground via Smith/Taylor pic.twitter.com/cSqsE0XSc3
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) September 18, 2023
Make no mistake, Chaisson deserves credit for getting the sack, and maybe this is the year he finally puts it all together. On the other hand, he still needs to prove he can deliver on a weekly basis before he can be seen as a reliable contributor. Until then, the Jaguars need to continue looking for ways to bolster the depth behind Walker and Allen.
Truth 1: The Jaguars defense is legit (now they need the offense to step up)
The Jaguars won the opener and then dropped a game. While it may be early in the season to come up with any meaningful conclusions, one recurrent topic has been the high effort from the Jaguars' defense. They currently rank 10th in points allowed, which doesn't look like anything out of the ordinary. at first sight. After all, they were 12th at the end of the season. Sure, there's an improvement but nothing particularly outstanding, right?
The truth is that a closer look shows that the defense gave Jacksonville a chance to beat the Colts and kept things close against the Chiefs. In the opener, they made several key stops in the fourth quarter that allowed the offense to take the reins and win the game. Similarly, they limited Kansas City to just one touchdown before halftime. Eventually, they allowed 12 points in the second half but you could make the case that they were exhausted after spending too much time on the field.
Had the offense done its job and built a lead, they would've taken the burden off the defense but that wasn't the case. Either way, the Jaguars should be thrilled about what they've seen the last two weeks.
Players such as safety Andre Cisco, linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, and cornerback Tyson Campbell have stepped up. Similarly, the pass rush hasn't been the issue it was thought to be throughout the offseason. If that wasn't enough, the Jags will get reinforcements when defensive end DaVon Hamilton is activated from the Injury Reserve after Week 4.
The bottom line is that the defense has done its job. It's now time for the offense to do theirs.