Chiefs v. Jaguars: Can Nick Foles lead Jacksonville to victory?
The Kansas City Chiefs open the season on Sunday in Jacksonville against the Jaguars. What can fans expect from both teams heading into the contest?
Lo and behold Kansas City Chiefs fans, we have survived the offseason and preseason and the 2019 regular season is finally upon us.
The promise of this season goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: In my two decades as a diehard Chiefs fan, and many more years before that, never has there been a season with quite this level of expectation. For a team that was inches from a Super Bowl berth last season, that has objectively improved on both sides of the ball, it is simply Super Bowl or bust.
The Chiefs begin this season of high expectations, barring any changes given Hurricane Dorian, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It wasn’t so long ago that the Chiefs played the Jaguars at Arrowhead, and the result was decidedly in their favor. Mahomes had a lackluster game, by his Herculean standards, as he topped the 300-yard passing mark but failed to throw a touchdown. He also threw his first two interceptions of the season.
Interestingly, the Chiefs defense was the most impressive factor in this game. While they gave up a significant amount of yardage in the passing game, as they allowed Blake Bortles to surpass 400 yards, they also intercepted him four times and held the Jaguars offense to 14 points on the day. It’s not unreasonable to say that this game was the beginning of the end for a Jaguars team that had made it all the way to the AFC Championship game the year before.
Offseason Changes
Results like this contest led the Jaguars organization to make some serious changes. After signing an extension in the 2018 offseason, Bortles had the worst season of his career and was eventually benched. After some speculation, the team decided it had made the wrong decision and parted ways with their former first round draft pick, who now backs up Jared Goff in Los Angeles.
The void at quarterback was soon filled by a veteran with tremendous experience. The Jaguars lucked out and were able to sign Nick Foles to a four-year deal with the team. The former Chiefs backup turned Super Bowl winning quarterback and MVP got a lot richer with this deal, which totaled $88 million and just over $50 million guaranteed.
I’m told the Jaguars fan base believes this year should see a step forward for the franchise. The defense that dominated just two seasons ago remains largely intact. What’s more, you could argue any defensive struggles of last season were in part the result of the offense. It’s difficult for a defense to play at their peak when their offensive counterpart is playing so poorly.
That offense should at least be serviceable this season. It’s unlikely that Nick Foles will put up ridiculous numbers, but he’s shown in his career that he has the talent to be a starter. Needless to say, Jaguars fans are excited about their offense and defense this season. What can Chiefs’ fans expect on Sunday?
Notable Offseason Additions
- Nick Foles – Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles – Signed four-year deal with the team
- Chris Conley – Wide Receiver, Kansas City Chiefs – Signed two-year deal with the team
Notable Offseason Departures:
- Blake Bortles – Quarterback – Signed with the Los Angeles Rams
- Donte Moncrief – Wide Receiver – Signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Carlos Hyde – Running Back – Now with the Houston Texans
*Important Note: This scouting report does not include the final pre-game injury report for either team. As such, some of these items are subject to change barring any updates on the players mentioned in the article.