Chiefs vs. Jaguars: Odds Kansas City Leaves Jacksonville 1-0
By Kenny Cember
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Regular season football is finally here. The Chiefs have a fantastic opportunity to start this year off right. Their first matchup will be the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Florida.
Earlier this week, one of our writers, Nicholas Alan Clayton, wrote a great article about not sleeping on the Jacksonville Jaguars. I happen to agree with him. Jacksonville will be fired up for their home opener.
However, I am very confident that the Kansas City Chiefs will pull away with a victory in week one of the 2013 NFL season.
Although the Jaguars are not a good football team, they will be more difficult to beat than usual because of the aura surrounding this game. It is a home game and it’s the first game of the season. But you need to look at the talent on both sides of the field. The Kansas City Chiefs have more talent on both sides of the ball. It’s not even a question. Yes, I think Jacksonville’s defense is underrated, BUT I think defense is where the Chiefs will win this game.
Luke Joeckel will be facing a similar situation to what Eric Fisher will be for Kansas City. There is one big difference: Fisher will be going up against Tyson Alualu whereas Luke Joeckel will be facing a premiere pass rusher in Justin Houston. Blaine Gabbert is not a good quarterback to begin with. His options are very limited. The Chiefs will be keying Maurice Jones-Drew and will make it hard for him to make plays.
Here are some of the issues Blaine Gabbert will be facing when he goes up against the Chiefs defense: Justin Blackmon is suspended, Tamba Hali will be rushing from the other side, Dontari Poe will be rushing up the middle and Bob Sutton will overload either side with rushers. These are just some of the factors that will lead to Gabbert making mistakes and the Chiefs defensive playmakers capitalizing on them.
On offense, Smith should manage the game as he always does. Jacksonville ranked 30th in overall defense and rushing defense last year. Look for a good amount of running in this game. I think Andy Reid will see that and will capitalize on the Jags’ weak run defense.
The odds are in the Kansas City Chiefs’ favor this weekend. This game will be closer than people think, but the odds are that the Chiefs come away with a victory.