Flipping this stat helped Chiefs defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars in Saturday’s playoff
When the teams met during the regular season, the Chiefs committed three turnovers while forcing none from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Despite the lopsided statistic, the Chiefs won that game by 10 points. But a similar ratio wouldn’t do when the teams met in Saturday’s high-stakes AFC Divisional Round contest at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Jacksonville entered the postseason a much improved team, carrying a six-game winning streak into Kansas City — including a playoff victory over the L.A. Chargers last weekend. The Chiefs were going to need every edge they could create, and it turned out that the biggest would come in the turnover battle.
The Chiefs didn’t give it away during their 27-20 win while forcing a pair of Jaguars mistakes. Both came in the fourth quarter and were critical in keeping Jacksonville at arm’s length.
“This is the is the playoffs,” Chiefs safety Justin Reid said. “And in the playoffs your defense has to come and play, too. Throughout the history of the league, defensive performances win championships. That’s the mentality we have on the defensive side of the ball.”
The Chiefs’ defense turned in a solid performance, allowing 349 total yards to a Jacksonville team that had averaged 374 during its winning streak.
On Saturday, turnover margin made a difference.
The Chiefs first takeaway came with 5:36 remaining and Kansas City leading 27-17. The Jags had driven to the KC 9, where Trevor Lawrence completed a short pass to Jamal Agnew. But Agnew lost control of the ball as he was tackled, and linebacker Nick Bolton recovered the fumble at the 3.
The Chiefs couldn’t dig out of that poor field position and punted it away, setting up the Jaguars near midfield. But on a Lawrence pass down the right sideline, rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson went high for a one-handed interception.
“The ball came on me fast,” Watson said. “I didn’t have enough time to put two hands on it. I just stuck one out and happened to catch it.”
Watson got his second pick of the season, and both have been memorable: His 99-yard pick six helped the Chiefs defeat the Chargers in Week 2.
The Chiefs also got a sack from Frank Clark, the 12th of his career in the postseason. That ties him for fourth with Reggie White for the most in NFL playoff history. Sacks became an official stat in 1982.
A bull rush by tackle Derrick Nnadi resulted in another sack of Lawrence.
“It’s a successful day for the D-line if we’re constantly getting pressure,” Nnadi said.
Bolton led the way with 10 tackles into addition to his fumble recovery. Safety Juan Thrornhill almost pulled down an interception in the end zone and finished with two passes defended. Lawrence, under stress for much of the game, finished 24 for 39 for 217 yards and a 73.3 passer rating.
In all, it made for a winning performance that sends the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game next week against the Buffalo Bills or Cincinnati Bengals.
This story was originally published January 21, 2023 at 8:34 PM.