Coming off a rollercoaster win last week against the Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) will have their minds set on beating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) in a marquee Week 2 matchup at EverBank Stadium.

As franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence approaches his third career game against the reigning Super Bowl champions, he can’t help but be reminded of the traumatic spoils in his previous two meetings, including the heartbreaking 27-20 playoff loss in the 2023 AFC divisional round at Arrowhead Stadium.

On the flip side, two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes looks to stay flawless against the Jaguars with a 4-0 record during his seven-year career.

Although Kansas City started their 2023 season with a loss, they were missing arguably two of the most electric players on their team, tight end Travis Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones.

Although he sat out Week 1 due to a contract dispute with the franchise, Jones officially agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $25 million on Monday. The Jaguars’ offensive line will need to be prepared as Jones’ presence will give a significant boost to the Chiefs’ defense.

Kelce, on the other hand, suffered a hyperextended knee in practice before the team’s opening game against the Detroit Lions, keeping him sidelined for the 21-20 loss.

With the anxiety of the loss looming among fans, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said the All-Pro TE “is progressing” at Monday’s post-practice media session via NBC Sports. This should provide some optimism that he’s ready to go for Sunday’s much-anticipated showdown in Jacksonville. 

For the Jaguars, the few offensive turnovers in Week 1 shouldn’t overshadow the fact that the offense looks to have taken a big step in a positive direction from last season.

The newest starting wide receiver Calvin Ridley is coming off a great Jacksonville debut where he totaled eight receptions, 101 yards, and a nine-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Veteran linebacker Josh Allen also put on a display against Indianapolis with a career-high three sacks and 10 total tackles. He stated the next day that the upcoming Chiefs game is “a little personal for me,” hinting that we could expect to see the same firepower from the defense as showcased last weekend.

Jacksonville will need to use this momentum in the game versus the Chiefs, which has been seen as the “game of the week”. 

Pre-Game Notes 

• The Jaguars offensive line did take a big hit with right guard Brandon Scherff suffering an ankle sprain, now listed as day-to-day, putting his availability in question.
• Jaguars rookie defensive back Antonio Johnson, who missed last week due to a hamstring injury, could be in line to make his NFL regular season debut, adding more depth to the secondary.
• Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson is looking to get his first career win against Andy Reid, who he worked under in Philadelphia and Kansas City before returning to Philadelphia as the Eagles head coach.