Chiefs at Jaguars, Week 2 preview

Can the Chiefs capture their first win? We preview Week 2, with key players, stats, picks and more.

Wes Roesch

Key game details

Location: EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Date: Sunday, Sept. 17
Time: Noon CT/1 p.m. ET

Network/streaming: CBS

Radio: 106.5 The Wolf, Chiefs mobile app

Broadcasters: Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

Referee: Adrian Hill

Betting line: Chiefs -3.5

Weather: Approx. 86°, cloudy, 7 mph winds, chance of rain 79%

Chiefs

Did not practice: LB Nick Bolton (personal), RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness)

Limited participants: DT Chris Jones (non-injury related), TE Travis Kelce (knee), CB L'Jarius Sneed (knee)

Full participants: WR Richie James (knee), CB Nic Jones (hand), WR Kadarius Toney (knee), DT Tershawn Wharton (knee)

Game designations: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (questionable), TE Travis Kelce (questionable)

Jones and Kelce will be back for this game, though it remains to be seen whether it’ll be on a full-time basis. Jones missed last week’s game due to an offseason holdout which bled into the regular season, but the Chiefs got him back after giving him an incentive-filled one-year deal. Kelce is still dealing with a bone bruise in his knee, but it seems unlikely he’ll miss another game, barring a setback.

Lions

Did not practice: S Antonio Johnson (hamstring), CB Gregory Junior (hamstring)

Limited participants: OL Luke Fortner (ankle), DL Tyler Lacy (hip), OL Brandon Scherff (ankle)

Game designations: OL Luke Fortner (questionable), S Antonio Johnson (out), CB Gregory Junior (out), DL Tyler Lacy (questionable), OL Brandon Scherff (questionable)



The Jaguars are missing couple depth pieces in their secondary this week, and their starting offensive line is a tad banged up. Other than that, they come into this game relatively healthy in terms of starters.

Key players and matchups to watch in Week 2

WR Kadarius Toney

All eyes will be on Toney this Sunday after his unsatisfactory performance last week that saw him drop multiple passes in crucial moments. Many placed the blame solely on Toney for last week’s loss. Others, like quarterback Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid, noted that it was a team effort. Regardless, Chiefs fans hope Toney’s Week 1 outing was an outlier, and that he’ll finally show WR1 promise like his potential suggests.

DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah

On a more positive note regarding last week’s loss, rookie Anudike-Uzomah (or “FAU”) had a sneakily impressive showing in his regular season debut. He earned three pressures (two hurries, one QB hit) and made a defensive stop, and was continually in the face of Lions QB Jared Goff. Considering it often takes rookie edge rushers a while to develop in the pros, it’s encouraging that FAU put together such a good game so quickly. It seems like it won’t take him long to earn his first NFL sack.

Chiefs’ run defense vs. RB Travis Etienne

The Chiefs’ defense allowed 118 yards and a touchdown on the ground last week. Defenses typically don’t want to give up those types of numbers, but the 3.5 yards per carry the defense allowed is a significant improvement over the 4.4 YPC allowed overall last season by the Chiefs. It’ll be interesting to see if the Chiefs can keep that number down against Etienne, who rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown last week against Indianapolis.

Chiefs’ tackles vs. EDGE Josh Allen

The Chiefs may want to give chipping assistance to whichever offensive tackle is blocking Allen, who earned three sacks and 10 tackles last week against Indy. Allen mostly lined up on the left side (against the right tackle), but he’ll often switch and play both sides in a game. Chiefs left tackle Donovan Smith and right tackle Jawaan Taylor had a tough time against Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson last week, so it’d be nice to see them bounce back and gift Mahomes a clean pocket in Week 2.

Top stats to know

48.

The top Chiefs receiver, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, had just 48 yards last week. That’s not at all a knock on MVS, who had a good game, but rather a knock on the rest of the squad. The Chiefs rarely have a game without at least one pass-catcher going over 70 yards. Having Kelce back will help, but much more is also needed from the wide receiver unit.

3.

Chiefs DE George Karlaftis had three pressures last week — all hurries — and a pass deflection. He also had a good game alongside FAU and Mike Danna. Between those three, the Chiefs may have themselves a nice pass-rushing trio.

8.

Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie was also a standout last week, earning eight tackles (including three defensive stops) and a forced fumble and having an overall good day in coverage. McDuffie did miss a couple of tackles, but he was all over the place on the field and made his presence known (in a good way) often.

Chiefs-Jaguars matchup history

The Chiefs are 9-6 against the Jaguars all time, dating back to 1997. Kansas City is actually on a seven-game winning streak against the Jags. The last time Jacksonville beat the Chiefs was back in 2009.

The last time the Chiefs and Jaguars played…

The Chiefs defeated Jacksonville 27-20 in the divisional round of the 2022-23 NFL playoffs. Mahomes sustained a gnarly ankle injury after former Jaguars edge rusher Arden Key landed on him the wrong way. Despite the injury, Mahomes came back into the game and managed to lead his team to victory.

The best Chiefs-Jaguars game ever was…

Given the extent of Mahomes’ injury, the playoff stakes and what came after (a Super Bowl win for the Chiefs), the Chiefs-Jaguars divisional-round matchup from last season was probably the best matchup between those two teams.