Jaguars report card: Nothing about any unit's performance was good enough to beat Chiefs
Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette grades the Jaguars’ performance against the Kansas City Chiefs based on execution, effort and game circumstances.
Offense: D
The Jaguars didn’t do a whole lot with some favorable field position off some nifty returns and turnovers.
They had three drives into KC territory in the first half and came away with no points until cashing in on the next-to-last possession before halftime.
The most impressive drive of the day came to open the second half, eating up 9:14 off the clock, but offensive tackle Cam Robinson was flagged for being downfield to nullify an Evan Engram TD catch.
Losing those four points deep into the third quarter was as costly as not taking advantage of the good field position.
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Trevor Lawrence had a decent game from a numbers standpoint (29 of 40, 259 yards, 106.1 QB rating), but failed to deliver on big plays as the Jaguars converted only 4 of 14 third downs.
The offense had only three plays of 20-plus yards, while running back Travis Etienne was limited to 45 yards on 11 carries, his lowest output since taking over as the starter.
The offensive line had arguably their worst game of the season, allowing five sacks and not getting enough push for Etienne.
Defense: C-minus
This was a classic mixed-bag game for Mike Caldwell’s unit.
On the one hand, it got a couple of turnovers off a brilliant Andre Cisco interception and safety Rayshawn Jenkins forcing a fumble that LB Devin Lloyd returned for 16 yards, turning back what looked like a certain Chiefs’ touchdown drive.
The flip side is a Patrick Mahomes-led offense still carved the Jaguars up for 486 yards.
Plus, all four of KC’s touchdown passes to tight ends Travis Kelce and Noah Gray, along with receivers Kadarius and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, came when they were left way too open for easy scores.
Cisco had a monster game, delivering two big legal hits. In both instances, he smartly led with his left shoulder and avoided the targeting calls that a booing Chiefs crowd thought he deserved when receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster absorbed a hit that prevented him from returning.
While it’s somewhat of a consolation the Jaguars held KC under its 30-point average, the defense allowed 7 of 10 third-down conversions and still couldn’t get the Chiefs off the field in the final 5:27.
Then there's the anemic pass rush that failed to sack Mahomes one time. Josh Allen hasn't put the quarterback down behind the line since Week 4 at Philadelphia.
Special teams: C-plus
Not sure kicker Riley Patterson will be keeping his job a whole lot longer after missing two first-half field goals (third miss in his last four attempts) that cost the Jaguars valuable points.
Patterson executed superbly on a surprise onside kick to open the game, recovering his own kick at the Jaguars’ 46.
Jamal Agnew had a spectacular first half, providing great field position by returning kicks to the 33 and 39-yard lines, as well as a 19-yard punt return to the Jaguars’ 46. The Jaguars finally took advantage of it in the final minute by driving 61 yards for their first touchdown.
Agnew’s instinct for making good decisions in space makes him a standout returner.
Caleb Johnson also forced a fumble on a late KC kick return by Jody Fortson in the final seconds of the half, which was recovered by Adam Gotsis.
He also had a nice tackle at the KC 10 off a Skyy Moore kick return.
Logan Cooke had six punts for a 46.8-yard average, two inside the 20, but also missed two chances to pin KC deep when two attempts sailed into the end zone.
Coaching: C
The Jaguars got off to a great start with a successful onside kick, a shrewd call by head coach Doug Pederson.
In a game where the Jaguars needed a lot of points, stealing possessions in any fashion is big.
Unfortunately, his offense didn’t capitalize on a lot of opportunities. It was a big story line in this game as the Jaguars kept getting extra possessions with turnovers, but didn’t take advantage of several favorable developments.
Pederson rightfully challenged a third-down, 36-yard completion along the right sideline to Valdez-Scantling with under five minutes remaining.
The review upheld the receiver had both feet inbounds, but without an overturn, any chance of a miracle Jaguars’ rally was pretty much nullified.
The Jaguars found out that trying to dig out of a 17-point hole against the Chiefs, especially at one of the NFL’s most difficult NFL road venues of Arrowhead Stadium, is a lot different than doing it successfully at home against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Gene Frenette Sports columnist at Florida Times-Union, follow him on Twitter @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars grades in loss vs. Kansas City Chiefs
