Chiefs Master Jags

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were too much for the Jaguars on Sunday prevailing over Jacksonville by a score of 30-14 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. In the battle of the National Football League’s top offense against the league’s top defense, the Jaguars struggled to get into a good rhythm on either end of the ball.

“You like to get into a rhythm early on and continue that rhythm as you go through the game. For us, we just have to do a better job. That is all I can say,” Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone told reporters in Kansas City on Sunday. “We have to coach better. We have to play better. We have to execute better. We have to make better decisions. It is not just one guy. It is not just one group. It was a team effort in this loss today.”

The Chiefs jumped out to a 20-0 lead at halftime and the Jaguars were trying to play catch-up the entire game. Mahomes threw for 313 yards as the Chiefs improved to 5-0. He is in the second year of four-year contract worth a reported $16.4 million according to NFL.com. Meanwhile Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, who signed a contract extension in the offseason (3 years, $54 million according to NFL.com), struggled turning the ball over five times as the Jaguars fell to 3-2. Even though he threw a career high 430 yards, Bortles struggled in the red zone on Sunday and admitted the game felt all too familiar.

“It felt like a lot like some games we have had in the past. Moved the ball. There were some good things done and then there were turnovers,” Bortles noted. “You can’t turn the ball over. I can’t throw four picks. It is hard to win when you turn the ball over.”

Despite Bortles’ frustrating game it is not time to push the panic button in Jacksonville.

“We had a little bit of bad fortune. We have a tipped pick in the end zone. We had a screen get picked. You have to find a way to see that happen. We just had some things and we have to give the guys a chance to score a touchdown,” Bortles explained. “Then we had some strip sacks. It is stuff we have to try and eliminate. It is a group effort. We all have to lock in and be better. We have a chance to get hot now and go win three in a row and win this quarter and do the same thing we just did the previous quarter. I think that is where we are headed already right now.”

While Bortles couldn’t seem to get the offense rolling for Jacksonville, on the opposite side of the field, Mahomes was able to execute despite being picked off twice by the Jaguars defense and being sacked twice. He was able to set the tone early.

“He is a heck of a quarterback. I have said it before. He is good on film. He is good in person,” Marrone said.

 “You have to set the tempo. You have to set the physicality when you go out there and play teams that have great players, like they do,” Mahomes said. “They were flying around and making plays. That was a great defense and a great team in general. So, we just try to make enough plays and step out to come out with a win.”

While the Jaguars defense wasn’t able to contain Mahomes  (22 of 38 for 313, 0 TD’s, 2 INTs), there were some defensive moments for the Jaguars to build on. The team didn’t let Mahomes throw a passing touchdown for the first time this season. Safety Tashaun Gipson and cornerback A.J. Bouye both picked off Mahomes.

Also, third year defensive end Yannick Ngakoue managed to sack the Chiefs star quarterback while making his second sack in as many games. Ngakoue now has totaled 22.0 career sacks and ranks seventh in franchise history for most career sacks.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid offered his thoughts on Jacksonville.

“This is a good football team that was here today. There’s a chance we will meet them down the road,” he said. “They’re physical, they are emotional, they are going to come after you and let you know they’re out there, verbally and physically. They’ve been there, they were in the championship game last year. It’s an important win, but we are talking about the fifth game of the season. There’s a lot of season left.”