The Chiefs dominated virtually every offensive statistic in Monday night’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium.
The problem, however, is that none of the numbers mattered except the final score, which saw the Jaguars emerge with a 31-28 win over the Chiefs.
Nevertheless, it’s baffling that the Chiefs somehow lost this game.
The Chiefs held the edge in time of possession, 31:59-28:01, along with outgaining the Jaguars by a wide margin, 476-319.
Kansas City also found success on the ground with 158 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries, averaging a healthy 7.2 yards per attempt. Running back Kareem Hunt accounted for two of the three rushing scores.
With stats like those, one would expect a win, not a loss, which dropped the Chiefs to 2-3 on the season.
Here are four areas that stood out:
MISTAKES DOOM CHIEFS
There were plenty of blunders that contributed to the Chiefs demise.
Kansas City drew the yellow flag a whopping 13 times, which came with 109 penalized yards.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes also threw a costly inception inside the Jaguars’ 5-yard line with the score tied, 14-14, late in the third quarter.
Mahomes’ pass was intended for wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, but linebacker Devin Lloyd dropped back in coverage and intercepted the ball at the 1-yard line before returning it 99 yards for a touchdown.
Lastly, Harrison Butker drew a flag for kicking the ball out of bounds late in the fourth quarter after running back Kareem Hunt’s 2-yard touchdown run gave the Chiefs a 28-24 with 1:48 remaining in regulation.
The penalty set up the Jaguars at their own 40-yard line, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence took advantage of the short field. Lawrence needed seven plays to move the Jaguars down the field, and he capped off the drive and game with an insane 1-yard touchdown run.
Lawrence took the snap under center, but the right guard stepped on Lawrence’s foot, causing the quarterback to fall, not once, but twice. He quickly got to his feet and scrambled to his left, found daylight, and ran it in for the game-winning score.
DEFENSIVE LETDOWN
The Chiefs’ defense entered Week 5 action allowing 19 points per game, good for ranking eighth in the NFL.
Jacksonville, though, produced a season-high 31 points, which also represents the most points allowed by the Chiefs through five games.
Kansas City certainly had its share of shining defensive plays, which included a recovered fumble, an interception and three sacks.
But Lawrence became a problem and hurt the defense with his arm and legs.
The Jaguars signal-caller finished the game completing 18-of-25 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown with an interception for a 95.6 passer rating. Lawrence added 54 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, averaging 5.6 yards per attempt.
How Lawrence performed carries significance because of what the Chiefs have next: Jared Goff and the potent Lions offense.
No. 15 DID WHAT HE COULD
Despite the pick-6, Mahomes turned in a nice performance in a losing cause.
He completed 29-of-41 passes for 318 yards and a touchdown with the interception for a 91.3 passer rating.
Mahomes also led the Chiefs in rushing, totaling 60 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, averaging 10 yards per attempt.
Monday marked the third time this season that Mahomes has led the Chiefs in rushing in a game. The previous two times came in Weeks 1-2.
What’s the common denominator here?
All three occasions were losses.
ARE THE CHIEFS ELITE?
NFL teams like to take it one game at a time, one week at a time.
But when looking at the Chiefs’ record, it’s hard to ignore the quality of opponents the team have defeated and fell to.
The two wins have come against the New York Giants (1-4) and Baltimore Ravens (1-4).
The three losses have come against the Jaguars (4-1), Philadelphia Eagles (4-1) and Los Angeles Chargers (3-2).
Kansas City has four games to go before a Week 9 bye, but the team squares off in a stretch against the Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills.
Of those four teams, the Raiders are the only club currently with a losing 1-4 record.
The Chiefs need to put it together sooner than later, right?
