One week in, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are already going to get maybe the their toughest test all season long.
Last year, Jacksonville met Kansas City in the NFL's Divisional Round, with Patrick Mahomes prevailing over Trevor Lawrence and company. But, the Jaguars proved that they weren't completely outmatched by the Chiefs and could be a threat in the near future.
Well, the future is now for Jacksonville. Week 2 will provide the Jaguars with their chance at a rematch, and we have a few reasons to believe they can get it done against the defending champions.
1. Detroit already proved it can be done
Look, the fact is, we've seen it done already. The Lions stunned the Chiefs on the NFL's opening night, and they did it in Kansas City's house. Say what you will about the Chiefs being without Chris Jones and Travis Kelce. Detroit still played a great game and limited Patrick Mahomes' offense to just 20 points on the night.
The recipe was pretty clear, too. Detroit put a lot of pressure on Mahomes and, even though they didn't tally a single sack, they made him uncomfortable enough to where Mahomes hardly completed half of his passes.
Jacksonville has a top-tier weapon in Josh Allen, rushing the passer, who posted 3.0 sacks in Week 1. If he can play at that level against Kansas City, the Jaguars' defense will have a good chance at containing the Chiefs in Week 2.
2. Chiefs pass defense is vulnerable
There was a lot of talk about the Lions' one-two punch at running back, between David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs each showing some good things against the Chiefs last Thursday. But, quarterback Jared Goff also had himself a great game. The Chiefs pass defense allowed 250 yards through the air, which ended up being the sixth-most given up in Week 1 around the league.
On the flip side, you have a Jaguars passing attack that put up 237 yards through the air, with almost half of that coming from Calvin Ridley in his first game back in quite some time. If Ridley's first game with Trevor Lawrence is any indication of what's to come, the Chiefs could be in trouble.
Both Chiefs outside cornerbacks, L'Jarius Sneed and Joshua Williams, struggled in coverage against the Lions. Williams earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 54.4 in coverage, while Sneed was given a grade of 50.3.
It isn't just Ridley, either. Obviously, we know that both Zay Jones and Christian Kirk are viable options for Lawrence, and then you have tight end Evan Engram who can line up out wide, just as we saw in Week 1. The Jaguars have the weapons in the passing game to get it done, and the Chiefs' pass defense is weak, from what we've seen in just one game.
3. The Travis Kelce injury situation
In Week 1, Travis Kelce wound up sitting out against the Lions due to a knee injury. The result, for Kansas City, was an offense without its clear-cut, no. 1 option in the passing game. While Patrick Mahomes has proven to be able to score points and put up numbers without an elite receiver, it's been proven much tougher if he is also without Kelce.
This week, Kelce may return to action. However, he could not possibly be at 100 percent. Kelce hyperextended his knee in practice last week, and Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported that the Chiefs extracted 45cc of blood from his knee. The well-known Dr. David Chao, also known as "Pro Football Doc," said that if that report is true, Kelce is a "long shot" to play in Week 2.
So, if we see Kelce on the field for the Chiefs, there is no way he is playing at the level we're used to seeing. That could be beneficial for the Jaguars because, even though Kelce is an elite option, he is not going to be at full strength. He might even be a detriment to the Chiefs' offense if he's unable to do what they're accustomed to seeing him do.