The Kansas City Chiefs host a big game on Sunday with the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars coming to town.
It might seem like an odd thing to say, but this Sunday’s game against Jacksonville is one that looms large for the Kansas City Chiefs. More than that, it is a game that offers Kansas City a chance at redemption.
Following a tense overtime win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday night at Arrowhead, the Chiefs will hit the road to take on the Jaguars in what might be the very definition of a trap game.
On paper, it seems like it should be an easy day out for Kansas City. The Chiefs are rolling along nicely at 6-2, while the Jaguars, after starting off the season with two wins in their first three games, have limped to 3-6. It is a team that has played in four consecutive AFC title games going up against a franchise that has made the playoffs just once in the last 14 seasons.
But therein lies the problem.
In a game that seems like it should be an easy victory, you hope that the Chiefs won’t take their opponents for granted. We’ve seen it happen before, as recently as this September.
In Week 3 the Chiefs lost 20-17 to Indianapolis, a defeat that looks worse every week as the Colts fall apart at the seams. It was a game the Chiefs never should have lost. They played terribly, and they were made to pay for it. It is a mistake they can’t afford to make again, and Sunday’s clash against Jacksonville is an opportunity for Kansas City to make amends.
Every game matters so much in the NFL, and in the midst of an AFC logjam, one loss could be the difference between being the #1 or the #2 seed, or the difference between having a playoff game at home or on the road.
For the Chiefs, they have their sights set firmly on that #1 seed and a fifth consecutive home AFC championship game. But in order to get it, they will need to beat out an insanely talented Buffalo Bills team – a team that holds the tiebreaker over KC. The Chiefs have already had one awful loss this season, and a second could end up sinking their hopes of earning the #1 seed.
In years gone by, Jacksonville has been one of the easy beats of the league. And while the Jags haven’t exactly had a stellar season this time around, they pose a harder challenge. Doug Pederson is a far more capable coach than Urban Meyer or Doug Marrone, and Trevor Lawrence is far more talented than Gardner Minshew or Blake Bortles. Throw in other quality players like Josh Allen and Travis Etienne, and you can see how the Jags pose a threat.
Regardless, the Chiefs should still be far too good for Jacksonville. But they also should have been too good for Indianapolis, and we all know how that one turned out. Kansas City still has bigger games—matchups against the Chargers, the Bengals, the Rams, the Raiders, and the Seahawks remain.
But before they can worry about those, the Chiefs need to take care of business against Jacksonville. It is a game the Chiefs should win. It is a game they simply cannot afford to lose.