The Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the Jacksonville Jaguars, 17-9, behind a gutsy, resilient performance on Sunday as the defending Super Bowl champions earned their first victory of the season.
Leading by eight points and facing a third down at midfield with just over two minutes remaining in the game, Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes found wide receiver Skyy Moore for a 54-yard gain that moved the chains and essentially sealed the victory.
It was a clutch play on a day that was otherwise riddled with self-inflicted errors, but despite three turnovers, double-digit penalties and several negative plays, the Chiefs found a way in the end to win the game.
"Our guys really sucked it up. It was hot and humid out there. I'm an offensive guy, but that was a beautiful thing defensively," said Head Coach Andy Reid. "Offensively, we have to take care of the penalties and the turnovers, but to battle through it shows me a little something. We'll get the other stuff fixed as we go."
Indeed, the Chiefs' defense was outstanding throughout Sunday's game, holding the Jaguars to just nine total points – and zero touchdowns – across 11 possessions. Jacksonville was 3-of-12 on third down and 0-for-3 in red zone touchdown efficiency, amassing just 271 yards of total offense on the day.
"The defense was incredible. That's a really good offense, and for [our defense] to shut them down and get some pretty critical stops…The defense won that game," Mahomes said. "We have to continue to get better as an offense – which I think we will – but if the defense plays like that, we're going to be a hard team to beat. That's special."
That strong defensive effort kept the Chiefs in the game amidst a sluggish start that included two punts, a fumble and an interception through Kansas City's first four possessions. In fact, following a muffed punt deep in Chiefs' territory, the defense promptly held Jacksonville to a field goal rather than allowing a short-field touchdown. Then, just one possession later, defensive tackle Chris Jones sacked Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence on a fourth-down attempt to flip possession back to Kansas City.
It was part of an impressive season-debut for Jones, who racked up 1.5 sacks, a pass deflection and several pressures throughout the game. The Chiefs didn't waste Jones' efforts on that fourth-down stop, either, as Mahomes went on to engineer a seven-play, 50-yard scoring drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Skyy Moore.
The drive demonstrated considerable determination by the Chiefs, who faced a 3rd-and-14 early in the series before tight end Noah Gray caught a short pass and broke multiple tackles for a 12-yard gain. Mahomes then connected with tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire through the air to move the chains on a short fourth-down attempt, ultimately setting up Moore's touchdown grab a bit later.
The score meant that Kansas City carried a one-point lead into halftime despite its first-half struggles offensively, and on the first play of the third quarter, the Chiefs again wrestled momentum onto their side when tailback Isiah Pacheco broke free for a 31-yard run. It was the first snap of a seven-play, 81-yard scoring series that culminated in a 9-yard touchdown strike to tight end Travis Kelce, pushing the Chiefs' advantage to eight points. The drive featured two third-down conversions, including a 34-yard pass to wide receiver Justin Watson that moved the chains on a 3rd-and-10.
As for the score, it marked the 47th time that Mahomes and Kelce connected for a touchdown during their careers in Kansas City, breaking a tie with Len Dawson and Otis Taylor for the most by any duo in franchise history. Additionally, Kelce's four receptions on the day moved him past Shannon Sharpe into possession of fourth place in terms of career catches by a tight end with 818. Only Tony Gonzalez (1,325), Jason Witten (1,228) and Antonio Gates (955) own more career receptions by a tight end in league history than Kelce.
The two teams went on to trade field goals during the fourth quarter, but Jacksonville seemed poised to narrow the deficit – and possibly tie the game – with a first down at the Chiefs' 14-yard line late in the contest. Kansas City's defense held firm on four-consecutive plays, however, marking the Jaguars' second fourth-quarter trip to the red zone in which they didn't score a touchdown.
In fact, the former of those red zone trips marched all the way down to the Chiefs' 1-yard line but ultimately only managed three points to show for it. The latter, meanwhile, provided Kansas City's offense with an opportunity to end the game if it could successfully drain the clock, and as Mahomes found Moore for that 54-yard gain deep down the field, the rest was history.
It was a gritty performance by Mahomes, who completed 29-of-41 passes for 305 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The reigning league MVP admitted following the game that the offense's performance wasn't perfect, but he was proud of how the Chiefs fought throughout the day.
"Obviously, [we had] too many penalties and too many miscues, but there is stuff that we can learn from…[and] if you play badly and win, it's a lot better than playing badly and losing," Mahomes said. "I was glad we found a way to get a win at the end of the day."
In terms of injuries, Coach Reid mentioned that wide receiver Kadarius Toney – who caught five passes for 35 yards on Sunday – sustained an injury to his left foot during the game, but he was still able to contribute. Additionally, wide receiver Justin Watson left the game early due to dehydration, but Reid added that he received fluids and could have returned if the game had gone to overtime.
The Chiefs will now aim to remain in the win column next week as they prepare for a matchup against the Chicago Bears at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
