Chiefs instant report card: Despite turnovers, good grades vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Chiefs rode Patrick Mahomes’ four touchdown passes to a 27-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
It wasn’t the cleanest game for the Chiefs, who went minus-three in turnovers. But they generated enough offense to improve to an AFC West-leading 7-2.
Here are the grades from Sunday’s game:
KC STAR OF THE GAME
The honor goes to Carlos Dunlap, part of the Chiefs’ defensive end rotation. Dunlap and Chris Jones teamed up for a sack late in the first quarter. Dunlap’s piece of a sack gave him 100 for his career, a milestone he has coveted. Dunlap, who joined the Chiefs this season, became the 41st player in NFL history and the eighth active player to reach 100. He has four with the Chiefs.
Next: The Chiefs head back to the AFC West and take on the L.A. Chargers. This game, originally set for late afternoon, has been flexed to Sunday Night Football and will kick off at 7:20 p.m. on NBC next weekend. The Chiefs defeated the Chargers 27-24 in Week 2, a game highlighted by rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson’s 99-yard interception return for a touchdown.
REPORT CARD
Passing offense: A
Mahomes’ first three touchdown passes went to players making their first scoring receptions of the season: Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Noah Gray. All originated in the red zone. So did Mahomes’ fourth touchdown pass, albeit to a more familiar target: Travis Kelce. Mahomes’ best throw of the day was a deep sideline shot to Valdes-Scantling to keep alive a drive late in the fourth quarter. Mahomes did nothing, even with his fourth quarter interception, to blunt the mid-season MVP projections. He finished 26 of 35 with 331 passing yards.
Rushing offense: A
Isiah Pacheco got his third straight start, and it didn’t go well early. He lost a fumble to end the Chiefs’ first drive, . It was Pacheco’s second fumble this season, but the Jaguars couldn’t capitalize with a score. And the Chiefs stayed with Pacheco after the botched play.
Best run of the day, however, belonged to Toney, who went 32 yards on a jet-sweep. Mahomes also delivered a 19-yard gain. Between the tackles, the Chiefs were better than a week ago against the Titans. Pacheco led them with 82 rushing yards and the Chiefs finished with 155 on the ground..
Passing defense: B
The Chiefs’ pass rush got home for five sacks, none bigger than Chris Jones’ in the third quarter. With the Jags facing a third and goal from the 9 on the first drive of the second half, Jones overpowered Jawaan Taylor and got to Trevor Lawrence for an 8-yard drop. The Jags settled for a field goal to cut the margin to 20-10. The Chiefs answered with a touchdown. The game went from a possible 20-14 Chiefs lead to a much more comfortable 27-10.
Rushing defense: B
Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne entered Sunday’s game with three straight 100-yard outings. He finished with 45 against the Chiefs. Kansas City linebackers Nick Bolton and Willie Gay didn’t allow much when the running play went laterally, as Jacksonville gained 75 on the ground.
Special teams: D
The Chiefs got caught napping on the opening kickoff. The Jags recovered an onside kick, but the Chiefs’ defense held and forced a punt. The Chiefs averted disaster again following a major mistake. After the Jaguars’ first touchdown, with seven seconds remaining in the first half, Jody Fortson fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Jacksonville got off a final-play field-goal attempt, but Riley Patterson missed his second of the first half, this one from 41 yards, leaving the halftime score 20-7.
This story was originally published November 13, 2022 at 3:03 PM.