Here is who national experts are predicting will win KC Chiefs-Jacksonville Jaguars game
Like his Jaguars’ teammates, linebacker Devin Lloyd knows his team is in for a challenge Sunday when Jacksonville plays the Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Lloyd told Jaguars’ team reporter John Oehser that quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a “stud.”
“You can’t really prepare,” Lloyd said of Mahomes, per the Jaguars’ site. “You have to just make sure you’re on your guy. When he starts to extend the play, he can put the ball on the money anywhere. We just have to make sure we’re in the right spot.”
Can the Jaguars, 3-6, slow down (or keep up with) the Chiefs?
Here is what 59 national experts are saying about the game, which kicks off at noon. and will air on KCTV (Ch. 5).
A 33-27 Chiefs win is the prediction from Yardbarker’s Chris Mueller. Here is a snippet from his story: “The Chiefs went seven straight possessions without points against Tennessee, and while their offense is still fearsome, it’s clear that they can at least be slowed down, and sometimes stopped altogether, by a disciplined secondary and a good pass rush. If Patrick Mahomes’ legs hadn’t saved the day, Kansas City would have lost to a team employing what amounted to a high school offense. There is still work to do for Andy Reid’s team.”
A 30-20 Chiefs win is the prediction from Bill Bender of the Sporting News. This is from his story: “Look for Kansas City to emphasize the running game early to protect Patrick Mahomes II – who had 68 passing attempts in Week 9. Trevor Lawrence will make a few splash plays in the first half, but look for the Chiefs to turn up the pass rush when they pull ahead.”
A 30-20 Chiefs win is the prediction from NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal. This is part of what he wrote: “Trevor Lawrence is coming off his best game as a pro, and this week provides a compelling litmus test. The Chiefs’ defensive personnel isn’t great, but Steve Spagnuolo’s unit will test the second-year signal-caller’s ability to throw against man coverage and get the ball out quickly against blitzes.”
Picking the Chiefs are Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith and Mike Florio. Smith sees a 24-21 final. He wrote in part: “The Jaguars have a knack for keeping games close, and I think they’ll do it again before falling short in Kansas City.” Florio predicted a 35-17 final. He wrote: “After a sluggish showing against the Titans, the Chiefs will be ready to deliver an easy knockout to an overmatched opponent.”
The seven writers at CBS Sports predicted the Chiefs will prevail: Pete Prisco, Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson, Will Brinson, John Breech, Dave Richard and Jamey Eisenberg. Prisco predicted a 27-20 final. He wrote in part: “The Jaguars have played a lot of close games, and this one will be no different. The Chiefs will win it, but Jacksonville keeps it close with their running attack.”
A 31-21 Chiefs win is the prediction from FanSided’s Matt Verderame. He wrote: “The Jaguars can hang tough here, but the Chiefs are unlikely to have another flat performance against an AFC South team. This could be the classic close-but-never-in-doubt game.”
All seven writers picked the Chiefs in a Florida Times-Union story: Demetrius Harvey (28-20 final score), Mike DiRocco (27-20), Gene Frenette (30-24), Garry Smits (30-17), Juston Lewis (24-10), Clayton Freeman (27-20) and Tim Walters (38-17). DiRocco wrote: “Travis Kelce will be a nightmare for the Jaguars. Then again, he’s a nightmare for everybody so that’s not really picking on the Jaguars. But he’s going to be a major problem.”
Each of the three Pro Football Network reporters picked the Chiefs: Dalton Miller (31-23 final score), Dallas Robinson (30-20) and Adam Beasley (29-23). Here is a snippet of what Beasley wrote: “If playoff spots were determined by advanced stats and not wins and losses, Jacksonville would have a real shot at making the tournament. The Jaguars are in the top half of the league in yard and point differential, offensive and defensive efficiency, DVOA, and net points per drive. They’d probably be leading the division if not for their 13 giveaways.”
All 10 Athletic writers see the Chiefs prevailing: Josh Kendall, Nick Kosminder, Tashan Reed, Mark Kaboly, Zack Berman, Austin Mock, Michael-Shawn Dugar, Jay Morrison, Ben Standig and Larry Holder. The Athletic writers shared this: “Even though the Jaguars enter Sunday’s game with a 3-6 record, their defense has held its own this season and limited opponents to less than 20 points per game. The issue has been on offense, where second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence has struggled with consistency and has not yet taken a big step forward.”
All five Audacy Sports writers believe the Chiefs will win.
The Star’s Jesse Newell sees a 34-20 Chiefs victory.
The five Sports Illustrated writers went with the Chiefs: Conor Orr, Gary Grammling, John Pluym, Albert Breer and Mitch Goldich.
All six writers at USA Today picked the Chiefs:: Jarrett Bell (24-20 final score), Chris Bumbaca (30-20), Nate Davis (31-23), Safid Deen (34-20), Tyler Dragon (28-17).and Lorenzo Reyes (30-19). They all had the Chiefs as their lock of the week, with the exception of Bumbaca.
The nine pundits at ESPN see the Chiefs winning: Stephania Bell, Jeremy Fowler, Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Domonique Foxworth, Dan Graziano, Jason Reid, Laura Rutledge and Seth Wickersham.
This story was originally published November 13, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
