Game Five Predictions: Jaguars at Chiefs
By Zachary Best
Adam Best – I talked some serious smack on the Jags and their fans early this week, but, honestly, I have a lot of respect for that franchise. You know who the Jags are? They’re that little guy in the bar that you don’t think much of. Well, that is until you’ve had a twelve pack, talked some smack, taken it outside and got your ass kicked. The Jags play ugly football, but Jack Del Rio’s team will not back down from a fight, even at Arrowhead. We better be ready for a fight, because I know they haven’t forgotten about that week 17 loss from last season.
That being said, I think their offense is screwed. Our Cover 2 and our personnel is a terrible match-up for quarterback David Garrard and his receivers (as we saw less than a year ago). Also, the Jags’ running game is still struggling, which is a good thing considering that teams have been able to run on us a little bit.
Corner Rashean Mathis will be a tough match-up for Dwayne Bowe, but with Eddie Kennison back in the fold I don’t see him getting doubled much. Bowe will find success, even against this defense. Chris Terry starting may be a blessing. I think his size gives him an advantage over the Jags’ undersized defensive ends. Speaking of which, we will have to run outside — and not up the middle, where John Henderson and Marcus Stroud always are wreaking mass havoc — to have success with the running game. No worries, though — our defense, home crowd and punter combined with their stagnant offense is a formula for ball control. We’ll certainly have time to get both Larry Johnson and the passing attack rolling.
This game will be tight for a half, but eventually the Chiefs will impose their will and take over this game: Chiefs 24, Jaguars 13
Zach Best – Well, I was very happy that the Chiefs proved me wrong last week. They went down to San Diego and handed out a beating. This week they will face a team that seems to be struggling, but is 2-1. The Jags are coming off a bye week which could help or hurt them. I think this is the week that LJ is really going to get going on the ground. Nothing to take away from the Jags Defense, but I think with Kennison back this week they will have to respect are passing game. Thats right I said it! With the emergence of D-Bo and the always sure-handed Tony G, they cannot keep eight to nine guys in the box. Chiefs will take this one 24-17. I still love you MJD (I won my first fantasy championship last year because of him, so give me a break)
Mark Hunsaker – A week after Herm Edwards’ biggest win as KC’s Head Coach, the Chiefs come home to Arrowhead ready to start a mid-season run filled with home games. No longer considered “worst team in the league” by many, the Red and Gold will continue their Arrowhead dominance led by their defense– now ranked Third overall. However, Jacksonville’s defense has also played very well (now ranked fourth overall) and will pose a substantial challenge for the D-BO show. The Jags are ranked third in the league against the pass, which implies (and the film shows) they have a great rush from their front seven and a secondary that is savvy and effective. This week will be the week a hungry Two-Seven gets on track against a Jag defense that is ranked 26th in the league against the run. Chiefs 17, Jaguars 6
Bankmeister – If you cut away all of the fat and get to the meat of this game, it’s about redemption. Jack del Rio and company are 2-1, and likely fresh coming into the ‘Head off of their bye week. Right now, the AFC South is as tight a race as the West is, and the Jags, having lost to division rival Tennesse, will be real hungry for a win. Even though Jacksonville made the Denver Broncos look like fools at home (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20070923007) (Update: Check that. They were already fools to begin with), they still have some divisional ground to gain, and they’re probably still a tad pissed about last year’s loss to the Chiefs (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20061231012).Make no mistake, though, this game is also about redemption for the Chiefs. Many are calling last week’s road victory over the Chargers a fluke, a Norv Turner meltdown, and the Chiefs badly, for the sake of their own team confidence, need to hush those whisperings. The defense, pumped by back-to-back home outings, will continue to dominate and the offense, aided by the help of the alleged return of Eddie Kennison will not wait ’til halftime to open up the passing game. The red and gold come out slinging early, opening up lanes for Larry Johnson, a combo that results in Los del Rio ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z7t-Ox3XvU) doing a non-laughable dance all their own. Jags 16, Chiefs 27.
Michael David Smith (FanHouse) – I see a low-scoring game, and the Jags just managing a win, call it 14-13.
Chris (Big Cat Country) – Let’s be frank here about this game. Everyone expects the Jaguars to drop the ball and lose to a “lesser” opponent. Except there is no indication that Jacksonville is a “real” enough team to even get away with thinking that the Chiefs are “beneath” them. In fact, had the Jags lost to the Falcons, as they almost did while making Joey Harrington look like Joe Namath, we’d be talking about this game as a “desperate last chance for Del Rio to keep his job”.
So yeah, I’m against the grain when it comes to some Jaguars fans who think this is one of those “prove we can beat weak teams”. It’s Arrowhead Stadium, it’s the Chiefs, and it’s against a gritty team that made the Chargers look stupid. Our offense is not nearly as loaded as San Diego, coaching aside, and I worry about our chances against that defense. Remember the last time the Chiefs faced Garrard, your secondary got him benched in the 3rd quarter. So I’m not thinking of this as a “don’t screw up” game, It’s a “beat a good team that has some struggles” game.
That being said, I don’t Herm Edwards to coach a Stop Watch, so expecting him to keep your team on the right track might be a little too much to expect.
Call it a close one, Jaguars 21-20, with terrible clock management and a blown time out costing the Chiefs a win.