The Jacksonville Jaguars fell to 3-7 on the year Sunday with a 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite stealing a possession with a game-opening onside kick and forcing three turnovers, the Jaguars didn’t capitalize on enough of the opportunities that those moments presented. Riley Patterson missed two field goals and the Jaguars punted six times against the Chiefs.
Meanwhile, the Jacksonville defense couldn’t do nearly enough to stop the Chiefs. While safety Andre Cisco — who delivered two massive hits — got an interception and the Jaguars recovered two fumbles, Kansas City still racked up 486 yards of offense.
Here’s how the Jaguars’ Week 10 road trip to Arrowhead Stadium went down:
Jaguars MVP of the game: QB Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence deserved a better stat line than the one he finished with against the Chiefs. He had a huge throw to Christian Kirk on the opening drive that bounced off the chest of the receiver, a touchdown pass to Evan Engram was negated by an illegible man downfield penalty on Cam Robinson, and a perfect throw to Zay Jones down the left sideline was just barely broken up by Trent McDuffie.
Despite the missed opportunities, Lawrence still completed 72.5 percent of his passes for 259 yards with two touchdowns. He added 26 rushing yards to boot.
Chiefs MVP of the game: QB Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City receiver Kadarius Toney had the best game of his young NFL career, but choosing any player other than Mahomes would be dismissive of how perfect he was Sunday.
Not only did Mahomes dice up the Jaguars as a passer with 331 yards and four touchdowns, he was also one of the Chiefs’ most dangerous rushers with 39 yards. He was already the NFL MVP favorite and he strengthened his case against the Jacksonville defense.
Jaguars play of the game: Marvin Jones’ 33-yard reception
Big time throw by Lawrence and diving catch by Marvin Jones. pic.twitter.com/Uos4nt5vEW
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) November 13, 2022
With less than a minute to go before halftime, Lawrence did what he hasn’t done much this season: threw downfield. Despite the Chiefs’ top corner, Trent McDuffie, running step for step with Jones down the left sideline, Lawrence threw an absolutely perfect ball where only Jones could get it.
Jones made the diving play to set up the Jaguars for a touchdown late in the first half to stave off a much worse blowout.
It was over when the Chiefs responded to the Jaguars’ field goal drive to open the second half with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
Pro tip: keep someone on @tkelce at all times 🏹 pic.twitter.com/hx1gvov2nd
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 13, 2022
The Travis Kelce touchdown gave the Chiefs a 17-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, too much for the Jaguars offense to have much of a chance at a comeback.
Stat that says it all: Jaguars 4-14 on third down
The Jaguars got the turnovers they needed, but the team also had to string together ball-control drives to keep the Chiefs off the field. Failing to convert 10 of their 14 third downs meant way too many Jaguars drives ended prematurely.
Converting a pair of fourth downs helped, but the Jaguars couldn’t afford to punt six times or settle for fields (especially when they’re missed).
Up next: The 3-7 Jaguars have a bye week before returning for a post-Thanksgiving home game against the Baltimore Ravens. The 6-3 Ravens are currently on bye and will return next week for a home game against the Carolina Panthers.
