Chiefs And Jaguars Set For Part II

It arguably could not have been a more tremendous weekend for NFL Super Wild Card Weekend. That is especially true, given that some games were closer than most people expected. The Divisional Round is all but set, as we await tonight’s Dallas Cowboys vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers matchup. After their bye week, we now know who the Kansas City Chiefs will face. That opponent will be the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jaguars at Chiefs will take place in Kansas City on Saturday, January 21 at 4:30 p.m. eastern time on NBC. Both teams won their respective division in 2022. Kansas City has now won seven consecutive AFC West titles. As for the Jaguars, Jacksonville won the AFC South for the first time since 2017.

Of course, the Chiefs and Jaguars met earlier this year in the regular season. That game also took place at Arrowhead Stadium back in November. In the end, the Chiefs defeated the Jaguars 27-17. Both Patrick Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence had strong days in that game. However, the results were a bit more favorable for Mahomes, as Lawrence failed to get some help from his supporting cast and blockers on occasion. There were also plenty of impressive plays by Kansas City in the secondary.

Old Dogs Vs New Kids On The Block

The Chiefs are essentially the old dogs in this particular matchup, possessing more experience in the playoffs. However, these old dogs have still shown us that they can learn new tricks. There are also plenty of new faces on the Kansas City roster this season that have not been part of recent Chiefs playoff runs.

Kansas City will always appear to have a chance at making a Super Bowl run, so long as Mahomes is leading the way. We have seen him readjust with a completely revamped wide receiver room. At the same time, Mahomes has used smarter decision-making and increased his production, possibly cementing a second career NFL MVP award. These new weapons have probably made Kansas City more difficult to defend.

The Jaguars are the new kids on the block, with much of the Jacksonville roster boasting minimal playoff experience. Meanwhile, the Jaguars ushered in a new era of playoff football in Jacksonville with about as improbable of a win as you could have had in the Wild Card round. Their chances at victory against the Los Angeles Chargers once looked extremely bleak. LA once led 27-0 on Saturday night. Yet, the Jaguars outscored the Bolts 31-3 the rest of the way, winning 31-30 in dramatic fashion. Jacksonville’s 27-point comeback was the third largest comeback in NFL postseason history.

You could argue that this group is just playing spoiler and has absolutely nothing to lose at this point. Though, the Jaguars are still looking to build a firm foundation under head coach Doug Pederson. Their regular season finish allowed these new kids on the block to become more feared and more believable as the playoffs drew closer.

Don’t Forget About Me

Because of these two team’s quarterbacks, coaches and overall rosters, much of the attention will go to the offenses. Nevertheless, each defense has quietly put together some of their best seasons in the span of the last handful of years.

Kansas City had their most single-season sacks (55) under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in 2022. That ranked second best in the NFL, trailing only the Philadelphia Eagles (70 sacks). The Chiefs also ranked 11th in total yards allowed this season. Kansas City has largely struggled as a run defense for years. Yet, they finished ranked in the top eight in rushing yards allowed (8th) and rushing touchdowns allowed (5th).

As for the Jaguars, this defense was tied for the third-highest takeaway figure (27 takeaways) in the NFL. Others like the Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans also had 27 takeaways in 2022. Only the Cowboys (33 takeaways), New England Patriots (30 takeaways) and San Francisco 49ers (30 takeaways) had more than Jacksonville this year. Furthermore, the Jaguars were also in the top half of the league in scoring defense (12th), rushing yards allowed (12th), rushing touchdowns allowed (14th) and yards allowed per rushing attempt (7th).