Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 3 keys to AFC divisional round NFL playoff game
Patrick Mahomes and the No. 1 seeded Kansas City Chiefs begin their postseason Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET against the Jacksonville Jaguars after earning a bye during the wild-card round.
The Chiefs won the AFC West title for a seventh consecutive season, tied for the second-longest streak in NFL history. Mahomes and company host a Jaguars squad that rallied back from a 27-0 deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30 in an AFC wild-card thriller. The Jaguars’ 27-point comeback was the third largest in NFL postseason history.
Jacksonville has won six straight games (including last week’s playoff win) entering the divisional playoff matchup. The Jaguars are the first NFL team since the 1991 Dallas Cowboys to select No. 1 overall in an NFL draft and win a playoff game in the same season.
NFL newsletter: Sign up now to get football news delivered to your inbox
Saturday’s meeting is the first-ever postseason game between Jacksonville and Kansas City. Here are three keys to the divisional playoff contest:
Chiefs' passing attack versus Jacksonville's defense
Mahomes threw for 331 yards, four touchdowns and one interception when the Chiefs defeated Jacksonville 27-17 in Week 10.
Mahomes led the NFL in passing (5,250 yards) during the regular season. He was the only quarterback to eclipse 5,000 yards. The Chiefs had the No. 1 total offense (413 yards per game) and top passing attack (297 yards per game) in the league this year.
The Jaguars defense ranked 28th against the pass, allowing 238 yards per game. Jacksonville has to be able to contain Kansas City’s versatile passing attack. Expect Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell to scheme up zone defensive packages that protect against the pass. The Jaguars’ likely objective is to pressure Mahomes with their defensive linemen while also dropping back into zone coverage on the back end.
Tight end Travis Kelce, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back Jerick McKinnon are the three best pass-catching threats on Kansas City’s offense. Kelce had six catches, 81 yards and a touchdown when these two teams met in November. McKinnon’s scored a touchdown in six straight games.
It’s worth noting that Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson was the Chiefs offensive coordinator under Andy Reid from 2013 to 2015, but that was before Mahomes officially became Kansas City’s starting QB in 2018.
Travis Etienne and Jaguars offense against Kansas City’s defense
Etienne rushed for 1,125 yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry during the regular season. He produced 109 rushing yards and averaged 5.5 yards a carry in last week’s playoff win. It’s imperative for the Jaguars to get their rushing attack going against a Chiefs defense that allowed 107 rushing yards per game during the regular season. If Jacksonville establishes the run, it will open up the play-action pass and also help the team control the clock.
Etienne should get over 20 carries as the Jags aim to control the possession battle. The Jaguars running back had 11 carries for 45 yards in the team’s regular-season loss to Kansas City. The Chiefs defense has given up at least 125 yards rushing in two of their three losses.
Trevor Lawrence and offense need to play turnover-free football
Lawrence tossed four interceptions and the Jags had five total first-half turnovers before a furious second-half rally versus the Chargers. The Jaguars can ill-afford to have five turnovers on the road in Kansas City. Mahomes and company will capitalize off mistakes.
The Chiefs defense forced 20 takeaways during the regular season. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo likes to play man-to-man defense and occasionally blitzes (24% per drop back in regular season). The Chiefs typically rely on defensive tackle Chris Jones and defensive ends Frank Clark, George Karlaftis, Carlos Dunlap and Mike Danna to produce pressure upfront. The five combined for 35.5 sacks this season.
Can the Chiefs be disruptive and pressure Lawrence into some errant throws?
Lawrence totaled 288 passing yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions last week. He had 211 passing yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers in the second half.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jaguars vs. Chiefs AFC playoff preview: Keys to NFL divisional game
