Grading the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 31-28 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 6 at EverBank Stadium.
The Jaguars return home Oct. 12 to play the Seattle Seahawks at 1 p.m.
Offense: C
Pretty dreadful in the first half, until a solid drive late in the second quarter cut a 14-0 deficit in half. Until then, it was a lot of the same operational problems: delay penalties, false starts (both on one play), the second penalty this season on quarterback Trevor Lawrence for throwing a pass beyond the line of scrimmage and his fumble at the goal line, then an interception in the second half.
The offensive line also yielded as many sacks (three) as they have all season and the Jags couldn’t get Travis Etienne going on the ground.
But props to the team for never digging too deep a hole and coming up with big plays in the second half, such as deep balls to Brian Thomas Jr., and Travis Hunter and Lawrence leading the team in rushing and scoring two touchdowns — including the game winner on a fumble snap, then another slip, then a stumbling run into the end zone.
Whatever works.
Defense: B
Other than the unit’s uncanny ability to give up a touchdown drive of more than 90 yards (three this season), it was a decent performance against a quarterback still in the NFL’s upper tier. Patrick Mahomes threw for 318 yards and ran for 60 yards but linebacker Devin Lloyd electrified the crowd and a national TV audience with his team-record 99-yard interception return and the defense didn’t let Mahomes pull off a miracle finish.
Special teams: A
A much better and cleaner effort than any game this season. The two best plays were on the first two Jaguars punts, when gunner Rayuan Lane III made two great hits on returner Nikko Remigio. Cam Little broke out of a mini-slump with a 52-yard field goal, which came after LeQuint Allen Jr. had a 38-yard kickoff return.
And a week after Allen made a big mistake by stepping out of bounds on the 7-yard line against San Francisco, Bhayshul Tuten smartly let a kickoff by Harrison Butker go out for a penalty, giving the Jaguars the ball on their own 40 to start the final scoring drive.
Intangibles: A
The Jaguars ended their eight-game losing streak against Kansas City, and they did it under the bright lights of Monday Night TV. They also proved to be extraordinarily resilient in battling back from a 14-0 deficit, overcoming in-game injuries to tight end Brenton Strange, wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and center Robert Hainsey and overcoming two turnovers on their own, both of which Kansas City cashed in for points.
The Jaguars played big-boy football when it mattered the most.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars-Chiefs report card was almost a failing grade for offense until second half
Reporting by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
