Jaguars vs Chiefs Week 5 Review

The Jaguars defeated the Chiefs 31-28 in a thrilling instant classic. The game got off to a slow start on offense, going 3-and-out on the opening drive. The defense struggled a bit as well on the first drive, allowing the Chiefs to get 45 yards before eventually punting. On the offense's second series, they went 3-and-out again, with Trevor Lawrence making a mental error by throwing the ball while past the line of scrimmage and Dyami Brown dropping an open pass.

On the Chiefs second offensive drive, they took full advantage, going 72 yards in 9 plays for a touchdown to Travis Kelce. The Jaguars responded with a 9-play, 59-yard drive that got all the way down to the Chiefs 2-yard line. On 4th-and-goal, Trevor Lawrence leaped over the line of scrimmage in an attempt to score but got the ball knocked out by linebacker Nick Bolton, ending the drive with zero points.

The Chiefs proceeded to go 97 yards in just 5 plays for a touchdown. The drive had two huge plays, with a 33-yard run from Kareem Hunt and a 34-yard pass to Tyquan Thorton, setting up the Chiefs inside at the 9-yard line, where Mahomes would run for a touchdown.

Just like that, the Jaguars were down 14-0 at home. The Jaguars needed a big spark to steal some momentum back. Trevor Lawrence and the offense responded with an 8-minute-long, 13 play 70-yard drive, capping it off with a touchdown pass to Parker Washington.

With some momentum back on their side, the defense was able to force a quick 3-and-out. This gave the offense 54 seconds to try and get a field goal from their own 8-yard line. After an offensive holding on the second play of the drive that set the ball back at the 11-yard line, the half was essentially over, going into the locker room down 14-7.

Coming out of the half, the defense was able to force another three and out, giving the offense a chance to tie the game. Starting at their own 13-yard line, Trevor Lawrence and the offense responded with one of their best drives of the season. The biggest play of the drive was the 44-yard deep shot to Travis Hunter, setting them up at the Chiefs 28-yard line.

This was a huge play not only for the drive itself, but also for the entire offenses confidence. They have struggled on deep passes all season, so this was a big confidence and momentum booster. 5 plays later, Trevor Lawrence scored on a 10-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 14.

The next defensive drive for the Jaguars was the epitome of bend-don't-break. After allowing a 11-play, 65 yard drive that got all the way to the Jaguars 3-yard line, Devin Lloyd picked off Patrick Mahomes, returning it 99 yards for the longest pick-six in franchise history to put the Jaguars up 21-14.

After such an incredible play, the momentum was entirely on Jacksonville's side now. Despite being on the field for nearly 10 minutes straight, the defense made another stand, giving the offense a chance to create real separation. On the second play of the drive, Trevor Lawrence was intercepted on a pass intended for Parker Washington. This play was highly controversial because it appeared to be pass interference, but it was not called, giving the Chiefs the ball in the red zone. Mahomes completed a 14-yard pass to Travis Kelce, setting up a Kareem Hunt 5-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 21.

A 38-yard LeQuint Allen kickoff return set the Jaguars up at their own 41, giving them great field position. While they did not have a great offensive drive, getting just 25 yards on 8 plays, they did enough to set up Cam Little for a 52-yard field goal to go ahead 24-21.

By this point, the defense had nothing left to give. The Chiefs walked down the field in a slow and methodical 12 play, 86-yard drive, capped off by a 2-yard run by Kareem Hunt to go ahead 28-24. It was now or never for the Jaguars. The drive started at the 40-yard line due to Harrison Butker kicking the ball out of bounds. With 2 timeouts and 1:45 to go, the Jaguars needed just 60 yards.

The drive immediately got off to a rough start, with Trevor Lawrence scrambling for a 6-yard run and then taking a sack. The Jaguars had gained 3 yards in 44 seconds and now only had 1 timeout. All hope seemed to be lost, until Trevor Lawrence unleashed potentially the best throw of his career in the biggest moment of the season.

On the following play, Lawrence ripped another perfect 13-yard pass to Dyami Brown to get the ball down to the 11-yard line. Things were looking good, but this is when the chaos unfolded. On second and 10, Trevor Lawrence was called for yet another delay of game penalty, then on 2nd and 15, Liam Coen called a baffling play call that saw Dyami Brown catch a bubble screen for 2 yards. On the next play, Bryan Cook intercepted Lawrence's pass, but the play was called back due to a pass interference, setting the ball up at the 1-yard line. On 1st and goal from the one, Lawrence immediately stumbled twice. The play looked to be broken, but Lawrence managed to get up and score a miraculous touchdown to give Jacksonville a 31-28 lead. With just 16 seconds left, the defense held on to win 31-28 in an absolute thriller.

The good

Coming into the game, the Jaguars were one of the most penalized teams in the NFL, but on Monday night they had just 4 for 25 yards. While there were two delay of game penalties, the team still played a clean game and minimized the careless penalties. On third down, the offense was much better, going 5-9, which led to multiple sustained scoring drives.

Devin Lloyd continues his breakout year, returning a 99-yard pick-six that gave the Jaguars a 7-point lead when it appeared the Chiefs were about to take the lead themselves. Trevor Lawrence had his best game of the season. He used his legs consistently, scoring twice while leading the team in rushing yards, and threw some of the best passes of his career. He appeared to be much calmer in the pocket and was much more decisive in his decision-making. While he did record 2 turnovers, neither were truly careless plays, which gave the Jaguars a chance to stay in the game.

Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter both had excellent games, combining for 7 receptions for 144 yards. They did not receive many targets, but they made the most of them on multiple deep passes that changed the trajectory of the game. The team as a whole showed incredible resilience. After falling down 14-0, it felt like the game was teetering on a blowout, but they stayed in the game and answered every punch.

The bad

Outside of the Devin Lloyd pick-six, the defense struggled mightily, giving up 28 points and 476 yards of offense. The secondary struggled, giving up 318 passing yards, but the bigger surprise was the run defense, which, coming into the game, was a strength for the defense. Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt combined for 85 yards on 14 carries, and Mahomes had 60 yards on just 6 carries. On third down, they could not get off the field, allowing the Chiefs to go 5-9 and sustain long drives. With Travon Walker not playing, the pass rush struggled mightily. Mahomes was pressured just 7 times on 41 dropbacks and was never sacked. This played a huge role in why the defense struggled.

While the defense struggled to stop the run, the opposite was true for the offense. Etienne and Tuten combined for just 55 yards on 16 carries. Trevor Lawrence was the team's leading rusher out of necessity. Brenton Strange has been placed on IR after suffering a quad/hip injury on Monday night. This will hurt the pass game a bit, but more importantly will affect the blocking in passing and running. Strange was essentially a 6th linemen as a blocker, without him, we could see the offense relying on quicker passes or jumbo two tight end sets on running plays.

Conclusion

This was the biggest test of the season, and despite the adversity, they pulled through. This was a massive win for the team, the fanbase, and the future. After such a statement win and now sitting at 4-1, the team has all the confidence to beat any team put in front of them. There were multiple steps taken in the right direction offensively that show promise as the season moves along. With the 3-2 Seahawks coming to town in week 6, the Jaguars have another big opportunity to send a message.

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