Five changes the Jaguars have made since their divisional playoff loss to the Chiefs
The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t a division opponent, but the Chiefs know them well.
When the Chiefs travel to Florida this weekend to face Jacksonville, it will be the third time the teams will have met in the last 12 months.
The Chiefs defeated the Jaguars 27-17 on Nov. 13 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. A little more than two months later the Chiefs downed Jacksonville 27-20 on Jan. 21 in an AFC Divisional playoff game.
Jacksonville, which opened its season Sunday by scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and beating the Colts 31-21 in Indianapolis, has made some changes since last facing the Chiefs.
Each week, I take an early look at the Chiefs’ next opponent, and here are some changes the Jaguars have made since that postseason loss at Arrowhead. Kickoff is at noon on Sunday, and the game will air on CBS (KCTV Ch. 5).
1. Ridley’s return
Wide receiver Calvin Ridley led the Jaguars with eight receptions and 101 receiving yards on Sunday. It was his first game since Oct. 24, 2021 when he played for the Falcons.
Jacksonville acquired RIdley in a trade last November. At the time he was serving a suspension handed down by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on gambling. That came after Ridley had stepped away from the game in 2021 to focus on his mental health.
Here is Ridley’s touchdown reception from Sunday.
“So happy we got the win,” Ridley told reporters. “I’m a win-first type of player, I wanna go out there and play good but I want to win the game. It feels so good, we worked so hard all week and all camp to go out there. I thought it was fun. Obviously, we got to get there but it was fun and we got the win.”
2. Adding a Tank
Jacksonville used its third-round draft pick on Auburn’s Tank Bigsby, a 6-foot, 213-pound running back.
That may seem odd, considering Travis Etienne rushed for 1,125 yards as a rookie a year ago. But Pro Football Focus called adding Bigsby the Jaguars’ best offseason move.
“Travis Etienne was not effective in short-yardage or goal-line situations last year, so the team is likely to see an immediate improvement in these categories this year with the addition of Tank Bigsby,” PFF’s Josh Liskiewitz wrote.
Bigsby had a 1-yard touchdown run Sunday in his NFL debut.
3. New kicker
Riley Patterson made all but five of his 35 field-goal attempts last season for the Jaguars and missed just one extra-point attempt.
But the Jaguars made a change at kicker by signing Brandon McManus, who Chiefs fans should remember from his days with Denver. McManus made a 45-yard attempt against the Colts, his only field-goal try Sunday.
Patterson was traded to the Lions, and made his three extra-point attempts Thursday.
4. Jawaan’s replacement
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who started both of the Jaguars’ losses to Kansas City, signed a free-agent deal with the Chiefs during the offseason.
Jacksonville found Taylor’s replacement in the NFL Draft in Kansas City. The Jaguars drafted Oklahoma tackle Anton Harrison with the 27th overall pick in the first round.
5. Nice start for Walker
Linebacker Travon Walker isn’t technically a new face, but the 2022 first-overall pick is off to a nice start to the season. He appeared in 15 games a year ago and had 3 1/2 sacks and 49 total tackles, but Jacksonville is hoping to see more from him this season.
Walker got off to a solid start Sunday. He had a sack, six tackles and a tackle for loss, so he’ll be someone to watch Sunday that maybe KC fans don’t remember from January.
