KC Chiefs: Four keys to beating the Jacksonville Jaguars

Win The Pass Rush Battle

If I was ranking the four keys to this game, this one might be number one on the list. In terms of this specific matchup, no other aspect of the game is bigger. Both the Chiefs and Jaguars need to effectively rush the passer to ensure they win the game.

Over the course of the entire season, the Chiefs have been a much better pass-rushing team. K.C. was second in the NFL with 55 team sacks while the Jaguars were tied for 25th with 35 team sacks. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story of this matchip.

The Jaguars come to Kansas City having won six straight games. Over that stretch, they have put up 19 sacks. That amount equals the 19 sacks they combined in their first 12 games. So the Jaguars have literally doubled their pass rushing production during their current win streak. Not only that, they’ve been dominating the pass rush battle. In their last six games, they have 19 sacks and 60 quarterback hits while only allowing 7 sacks and 24 quarterback hits. That’s a massive advantage in the pass rush department.

That wasn’t the case in the Jaguars’ earlier matchup with Kansas City. In that game, the Chiefs sacked Trevor Lawrence five times while Patrick Mahomes wasn’t sacked once. The Chiefs have been very streaky with their pass rush this season, but it seems to be trending in the right direction. Chris Jones has been an absolute menace all season as he amassed 15.5 sacks. Rookie George Karlaftis has come on strong too with 5.5 sacks over the last seven games. Frank Clark, Carlos Dunlap, and even Mike Danna have all been solid rotational rushers at times as well.

If the Jaguars are going to pull the upset against the Chiefs, getting after Mahomes while protecting Lawrence is absolutely the way to do it. However, if K.C. can get after Lawrence as they did in the first matchup, it’s going to be very difficult for Jacksonville to come out of Arrowhead with a win.

What do you think Chiefs fans? Do you agree with these four keys for the Chiefs in this game? Are there other things you think are even more important? Are you feeling confident about this matchup or are you worried about the Jaguars pulling off the upset? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below.