KC Chiefs still show room to grow in win over Jaguars

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars with an offensive onslaught. Despite mistakes, Andy Reid and company extend their win streak.

For the first two months of the NFL season, teams work to establish their identity. During that stretch, the objective was to survive and win games in any way possible. Such has been the case for the Kansas City Chiefs, with performances ranging from lethargic to mid-season form. Once November hits, the objective is to tune up for the stretch run. There’s a sense in which the Chiefs did that on Sunday afternoon with a commanding 27-17 victory over the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars. One might also argue, however, that the miscues plaguing the team all season were evident again in Week 10.

For most of the day, the Chiefs’ special teams were an unmitigated disaster. The Jaguars caught the Chiefs with their pants down as Riley Patterson successfully recovered his own 11-yard onside kick to start the game. A comedy of errors would follow as Dave Toub’s unit turned the ball over on a Jody Fortson fumble, surrendered 91 yards to Jamal Agnew (on just three returns), and saw yet another missed point-after attempt by kicker Harrison Butker. Fortunately, Jacksonville did little to capitalize on the miscues. At the end of the first half, Patterson pushed a 41-yard field goal wide.

Fortunately for the Chiefs, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo built on perhaps the best half of football he’s coached since arriving in Kansas City. Trevor Lawrence was under duress throughout the day, as Chiefs defenders got home five times in the game. Despite 315 yards of total offense, the Jaguars were held to just 17 points. Defensive tackle Khalen Saunders made another statement today and may be well on his way to serious consideration for a contract extension. Chris Jones continues to make his case as a strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He led all defenders with 1.5 sacks on the day.

Offensively, the Chiefs were balanced and efficient against the league’s 11th-best defense coming into the week. In a game where running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire didn’t notch a single carry, rookie Isiah Pacheco took full advantage with a career-best 82 rushing yards on 16 carries. With an injury that sidelined wideout Mecole Hardman and a scary hit that sent fellow receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster into the locker room early, the Chiefs still amassed 331 yards through the air. Newcomer Kadarius Toney is already demonstrating his value as a new wrinkle offensively. In just six touches, he put together 90 yards from scrimmage and his first NFL touchdown. Apart from an unnecessary interception, Patrick Mahomes was still his typically stellar self. He completed 74% of his passes and tossed four touchdowns to four different receivers.

It was anything but perfect, but a two-score win is satisfying. The Bills fell to the Vikings in overtime so for the time being, the Chiefs take over the top spot in the conference. The key to winning the Super Bowl in the NFL is not to peak too soon. Sunday was proof there’s still room for the Chiefs to grow, an indication that Kansas City is trending in the right direction. Hopefully, with defensive end Frank Clark returning in time for next Sunday night’s rematch with the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chiefs can continue to summon its best football.