Jaguars RG Brandon Scherff day-to-day with ankle injury, could miss Chiefs game

Right guard Brandon Scherff is a mainstay of the Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive line, so they probably held their breath when he went down with an ankle injury during the 31-21 win over the Indianapolis Colts. On Monday, head coach Doug Pederson provided an update on Scherff's status.

Pederson told the local media that the right guard got an MRI done and he'll be day-to-day. He then says that the Jags may roll with backup interior lineman Tyler Shatley if Shatley isn't good to go against the Chiefs.

"X-rays, MRI showed up an ankle sprain. He'll be pretty tender these next couple days," Pederson said. "We'll just keep monitoring him, day-to-day as we go this week."

Pederson continued, "It's a loss for the offensive line, pretty substantial. His leadership with Anton [Harrison] there, then the communication they've had and the rapport they've had since the offseason. If he can't [go], we're confident Tyler Shatley filled in well, veteran guy, knows the system well, will do the same thing as far as communication goes with Anton himself, so all the confidence in the world. We'll have the answers there."

When Scheff left the field against the Colts, Shatley took his place in the lineup. As Pederson noted, Shatley can come off the bench at any time. The last three years, he made 30 starts at all three positions in the interior offensive line.

That said, there will be a dropoff from Scherff to Shatley. On the other hand, it doesn't make sense to rush the former and risk him to further injury. Not having him against the Kansas City Chiefs would be less than ideal but it's better if he has to miss a couple games than a significant chunk of the season.

The Jaguars O-Line will need to step up vs. the Chiefs

There were many positive takeaways from the Jaguars' win over Indy but there are other things they'll need to fix if they want to beat the Kansas City Chiefs at home. One of them is the offensive line play. In particular, the right side.

Before Brandon Scherff left, he was having trouble against the Colts' defensive front. Similarly, defensive end Kwity Paye gave right guard Anton Harrison fits. Now, the Jaguars will take on a Kansas City defensive front that may or may not be without All-Pro Chris Jones.

Last week, Jones held out in the season opener against the Detroit Lions to show his dissatisfaction with his current contract status. He's set to make around $20 million and wants a steep pay bump. It's possible he'll solve the impasse by the time the Chiefs face the Jags but there's an equal chance he'll sit out the game. Either way, Jacksonville needs to do a better job in the offensive trenches, whether it's containing the pass rush or opening holes in the running game.

The Jaguars currently have a 1-0 game lead in the AFC South and if they want to widen it, they'll probably need to beat Kansas City Chiefs without Brandon Scherff. Then again, good teams overcome injuries and find a way to win.

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