The Kansas City Chiefs got their first win of the season on Sunday after an ugly, heavy-weight battle between two stout defenses. Typically, it is Kansas City’s offense that steals the show, but Patrick Mahomes and the gang struggled to get into a rhythm for the second consecutive week. Luckily, the Chiefs’ defense stepped up and finished with another dominating performance.
Aside from allowing the Jags to nail in three field goals, Kansas City, defensively, held Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville offense out of the end zone for four quarters and halted several drives that easily could have been turned into points. Lawrence completed just over 50% of his passes for 217 yards and was sacked four times. As a unit, the entire Jacksonville offense was held to 279 total yards after gaining 342 yards and scoring four touchdowns the previous week against Indianapolis.
Head Coach Andy Reid took to the podium after the game and was quick to sing the defense’s praises, starting with defensive tackle Chris Jones.
“Defensively, [it’s] great to have Chris Jones back. He obviously influenced the game in a positive way for us,” Reid noted. “[Trent] McDuffie [did a] nice [job]. I mean, I can go on there, [but] the guys, I thought on defense just battled, [defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] had a phenomenal game plan. His coaches did a great job there.”
Jones did make a noticeable impact on Sunday, surprising anyone who thought it would take a few weeks before he’d be back into football shape after holding out all summer. Instead, Jones finished with 1.5 sacks, four pressures, two QB hits, and had one pass battled down at the line of scrimmage.
Kansas City’s defense allowed the Jaguars to convert on 3-of-12 third-down attempts. Jacksonville also went 0-for-2 on fourth down and 0-for-3 in red zone touchdown efficiency. For context, the last time the Jaguars played a full game without scoring an offensive touchdown was Week 5 of last season.
Reid also acknowledged that his team not only triumphed over a good football team but battled through some harsh elements on the field. Sunday was a hot, humid day in Jacksonville, with the heat index nearly reaching triple digits.
“But my biggest takeaway is I thought our defense did a nice job,” said Reid. “So and then the offense battled through it and so on. But you had the elements, you know, we all felt that all you guys felt as though you have the elements that you gotta fight through. And you know, you’re not walking in the park here. It’s both teams that are battling through some heat and humidity.”
