Chiefs vs. Jaguars: 3 Jags’ Defenders Kansas City Must Game Plan For

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For the Kansas City Chiefs, the regular season opens on the road, as the team heads to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars. The Jaguars, like the Chiefs, hope to have a better season the one before it. As Kansas City comes to town, the Jacksonville defense prepares themselves for the Chiefs, who should be more effective on the offense side of the ball this year, especially with Andy Reid and Alex Smith leading the team.

The Jaguars defense has struggled as of late. No player on the team has recorded double digit sacks, or intercepted the ball more than four times in a season since 2007. However there are some players that the Chiefs need to be aware of before they take the field Sunday:

1. Paul Posluszny, MLB

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The middle linebacker is the heart of the Jaguars defense. He has been a force in the middle, notching 106 tackles last year, picking off the ball three times and forcing two fumbles. If the Chiefs hope to be successful on the ground and through the air, the Chiefs have a job ahead of them trying to slow down this defensive leader.

2. Tyson Alualu, DT

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Tyson Alualu, the #10 overall pick in 2010, has had some knee issues, so he had been moved to the outside for this year’s defense. Despite the knee issues he was still able to record 34 tackles and lead the team in sacks with 3.5 in 2012. The Chiefs will have to work on keeping him on the outside to make room up the middle for Jamaal Charles to use that killer speed.

3. Dwayne Gratz, CB

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Jacksonville selected Dwane Gratz out of Connecticut in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He’s a big corner with NFL potential. He has the size of a good starting corner at 5’11”, 201 pounds, and may cause trouble for the Chiefs wide receivers. However he does tend to play too aggressively,which could lead to some trouble for him. The Jaguars obviously have a lot faith in him though, so look for him to be a solid corner for Jacksonville.

The good news for Chief fans is this is not a dominate defense. They are not very solid on the line or in the secondary; so this should be an easy victory for the visiting Chiefs. If the Jaguars come away with the worst record in the NFLthis season, look for them to draft a defensive player early, such as South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney.

What do you think Addicts? Who are the Jacksonville defenders that the Chiefs need to focus on in order to come away with the first victory of the season? Let us know in the comments below.