Arrowhead Pride
On the Kansas City Chiefs’ opening drive, Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd dropped back into coverage and picked off Patrick Mahomes, giving Jacksonville an early spark.
Trevor Lawrence capitalized quickly, connecting with tight end Brenton Strange on a 32-yard corner route to move into field goal range. However, the drive stalled after wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. had a curl-route catch punched out by rookie cornerback Nohl Williams. But on the same play, star defensive tackle Chris Jones went down. As he headed to the locker room, the Jaguars settled for a 39-yard field goal from Cam Little.
Kansas City looked to respond, but on a third down deep in Jacksonville territory, Mahomes tried to scramble up the middle. Defensive lineman Arik Armstead shed his blocker and dropped Mahomes for a one-yard loss. The Chiefs still came away with points, as Harrison Butker drilled a 51-yard field goal to tie the game.
End of first quarter: Chiefs 3, Jaguars 3
Travis Etienne Jr. broke loose for a 32-yard touchdown run, bouncing to the left edge and cutting upfield with speed to put Jacksonville ahead.
Kansas City’s rookie wideout Xavier Worthy then got involved, moving the chains twice on the ensuing drive, including a grab that brought the Chiefs down to the Jaguars’ five-yard line. But Jacksonville’s defense stiffened, with Armstead notching another sack to stall the drive. The Chiefs had to settle for another field goal.
The Jaguars wasted no time responding. In just three plays, Trevor Lawrence hit Brenton Strange for 19 yards, scrambled 30 yards himself, and then found Etienne Jr. on a Texas route for another touchdown. The quick strike extended Jacksonville’s lead to two scores.
End of second quarter: Jaguars 17, Chiefs 6
Still without Chris Jones, the Chiefs’ defense struggled to contain Etienne, who ripped off a 28-yard gain before another run carried Jacksonville to the Chiefs’ three-yard line. By this time, Etienne had piled up 91 yards on just seven carries. Dyami Brown capped the drive with a six-yard touchdown reception to stretch the lead.
After punting on their final possession of the first half, Kansas City punted again to open the third quarter. Then the Jaguars punted the Chiefs, keeping the score steady.
Mahomes finally got the offense moving. He connected with Xavier Worthy on a 30-yard strike down the sideline, then found JuJu Smith-Schuster on back-to-back completions to quickly notch two first downs and push into Jaguars territory.
End of third quarter: Jaguars 24, Chiefs 6
Isiah Pacheco finally broke through for Kansas City, darting untouched into the end zone on a five-yard run for the Chiefs’ first touchdown of the game.
Lawrence quickly delivered the dagger. Rolling out of the pocket, he fired a strike on the run to rookie Brian Thomas Jr. for a 34-yard touchdown – extending Jacksonville’s lead late.
The Chiefs went down swinging, piecing together a 13-play, 77-yard drive capped off by a Travis Kelce...
