The NFL is back and the local Jacksonville Jaguars will open their season at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The game will likely be a showcase of the Chiefs’ high-flying offense featuring star quarterback Patrick Mahomes going against the juggernaut that is the Jaguars’ defense. What will happen when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

The Jaguars look to improve on a disappointing 2018 season, where they only won five out of 16 games. The Chiefs, on the other hand, are coming off a strong 12-4 season where they came just one game short of the Super Bowl, losing to the Patriots in the AFC Championship game.

The Jaguars will be showing off their new offense, led by quarterback Nick Foles. The team broke up with Blake Bortles after a rocky five seasons and signed the Super Bowl 52 MVP to a four year, $88M deal. 

In front of the new quarterback is the now healthy offensive line. Last season, the Jaguars’ line was devastated by injuries. By the end of the season, there was only one starter from week one playing: right guard A.J. Cann. Left tackle, Cam Robinson went down in Week 2 with a torn ACL; center Brandon Linder also went on injured reserve in week nine with a knee injury and missed the rest of the season.To make matters worse, left guard Andrew Norwell missed five games with a foot injury. The addition of former Florida Gator, Jawaan Taylor, at right tackle should make the line more well-rounded.

The team’s defense will attempt to return to its 2017 form, when they led the Jaguars to the AFC Championship game. The defensive line will return three of its starters from last season while adding Josh Allen to the lineup. The first-round pick from the University of Kentucky gave fans a lot to look forward to in the limited snaps he played in the preseason.

The two teams played last season in Kansas City. The Chiefs walked away with the 30-14 win in that matchup.

Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 PM EST.

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