Week 5: Chiefs vs. Jaguars game preview: Chiefs hit the road to face 3-1 opponent on prime time
Limiting turnovers and stopping the run are essential for the Chiefs to win on Monday Night Football.
The Kansas City Chiefs (2-2) have an opportunity to move into a three-way tie in the AFC West after a Los Angeles Chargers loss and a Denver Broncos win in Week 5.
The Chiefs will have to travel south to defeat a pesky Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3) team to make that a reality.
It is hard to know what to make of the 2025 Jacksonville Jaguars.
On one hand, they are in the top five in points allowed, allowing 18 per game.
That statistic likely has more to do with the takeaway tear they are currently on. Jacksonville has 13 on the season and has turned over its opponent at least three times in every game.
Since they have given the ball away four times themselves, that means they have nine extra possessions over their opponents on the season.
“They (Jaguars defense) catch the ball well, first of all and they’re disciplined in their lanes on their zone drops, opportunistic on tipped balls, and then they’ve stripped out a couple of balls,” head coach Andy Reid said. “They go after it; you have got to make sure you’re aware of that as you play them. For sure.”
They have narrowly posted wins over decent opponents, such as the Houston Texans and the San Francisco 49ers, as well as a blowout victory over the Carolina Panthers.
They also, however, lost to a Cincinnati Bengals team that has been on a steep decline since the departure of quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow exited early in that 31-27 loss for Jacksonville.
If there is one area in which the Jaguars’ defense is dominant, it is stopping the run. The Chiefs, however, do not even run the ball well against teams that struggle to stop the run.
They should be able to play their brand of football, targeting a leaky Jacksonville secondary.
Number one wide receivers have also tormented the Jaguars’ defense. Ja’Marr Chase went for 165 yards, and Nico Collins racked up 105.
Xavier Worthy is not yet on their level at this point in his career, but as long as he is healthy, he could be due for a big game for the second straight week. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is excited to see if Worthy can keep the offensive stock rising.
“I think the best way to put it is he’s (Worthy) a guy that can win one-on-one against really everybody in the league, and so when you have that much explosiveness and you can run routes like he does, it brings a lot of attention to him,” Mahomes said. “You saw that they had to make decisions if they were going to play man coverage or rather play zone coverage and then it helped get other guys open as well.”
Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis has had a stellar season thus far, but opposing quarterbacks have posted a 111.8 quarterback rating when targeting Tyson Campbell on 182 coverage snaps.
Brenton Strange
It is not Brian Thomas Jr. or Travis Hunter, but it is Brenton Strange who leads the Jaguars’ passing attack.
The third-year tight end has hauled in 19 catches, 182 yards on 23 targets through the first four games.
Despite having a breakout rookie season, where he put up nearly 1,300 yards, Thomas Jr. has 164 yards. He and quarterback Trevor Lawrence have been unable to develop chemistry as the second-year wideout has caught just 12 passes on a whopping 32 targets.
It is a lot of the same for rookie phenom, two-way player, Travis Hunter, who has just 118 yards through the first four games.
If you are defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, you do not want to be the team that allows them to have a breakout performance, but clearly, Lawrence has something going with Strange.
It will likely be a mix of linebackers, such as Leo Chenal or Drue Tranquill and safeties such as Jaden Hicks and Chamarri Conner tasked with limiting Strange.
Clean football
The Jaguars are just the fifth team since 2002 to force three turnovers in each of its first four games. It is clear that this has been a primary focus of emphasis over this week of preparation.
“They’re causing the turnovers,” Mahomes said. “It’s not like the turnovers are happening. They’re punching the football out, tipping passes, they’re intercepting the football when they get their hands on it. It’ll be a great challenge for us; we have to make sure that we’re fundamentally sound as well. We can’t give them any opportunity because they’re capitalizing on them.”
Luckily for the Chiefs, they are just one of three teams this season to give the ball away once over that amount of time.
Jacksonville’s defense has produced nine interceptions and four fumble recoveries, but the quarterbacks they have faced are Bryce Young, Jake Browning, C.J. Stroud and a banged-up Brock Purdy.
If the Chiefs turn the ball over three times, they will likely fall to 2-3 on the season. However, quarterback Patrick Mahomes has not played that brand of football since the midway point of the 2024 season and has not done so in 2025.
Over the last 10 regular-season games, Mahomes has thrown 18 touchdowns to just one interception.
“That’s basically the guys that are making the plays,” Mahomes said. “I’m giving guys chances down the field and they’re making plays happen. It’s either them or nobody else. That’s something that we preached all offseason. It’s good to see that success happening, and let’s continue with it as the season goes on.”
With the Jaguars’ lack of offensive firepower, the Chiefs should be able to handle business if they play a clean game of football.
Containing Etienne
Exlosive runs have been the only bright side of the Jacksonville offense this season. Running back Travis Etienne has returned to form, breaking for a 71, 30 and 49-yarder in three of the last four games.
The fifth-year back out of Clemson already has 394 yards on the season, which is almost as much as Kansas City has as a team.
“What has stuck out to me just watching film the past few days is how well he (Etienne) is on the edge,” linebacker Leo Chenal said. “His stiff arm is good, but it’s not just setting an edge; you got to have great eyes and continue to press the edge because he’ll bounce it out even if you have a d-end sitting at the edge two yards up the field. I think it’s trusting each other and continue to drive up field on certain things and having good square hips, athletic position, and be able to knock down a stiff arm.”
Their rookie running back, Bhayshul Tuten, from Virginia Tech, has not yet gotten things going. He has averaged 4.2 yards per carry and has 4.32 speed, however.
The Jaguars are fourth in the league in rushing and the Chiefs are 22nd at stopping it, so this is a key matchup in the game.
That said, the Chiefs seem to do well when they have to stop one of the NFL’s best backs. They have limited Omarion Hampton to 48 yards, Saquon Barkley to 88 and Derrick Henry to 42.
The Chiefs have allowed their fair share of rushing yards, but have not allowed top running backs to take over games. Their allowed numbers are also inflated by a 71-yard garbage time run by Justice Hill last week.
Spags vs. Lawrence
Speaking of stopping the run, the Chiefs should get their preferred game script if they do.
There was some optimism that new Jaguars head coach Liam Cohen could get Lawrence going in the same way he did Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay, but that has not yet materialized through four games.
Lawrence is averaging 211 passing yards per game and has tossed for just five touchdowns to go along with his four interceptions.
The numbers get worse if he is under pressure, which is a Spagnuolo specialty. When pressured, his passer rating drops from 70.3 to 42.2.
The Jaguars are sixth in pass attempts and 18th in passing yards, so they are far from efficient.
Regardless, the Jaguars have produced 24 points per game and Spagnuolo is not taking the AFC South opponent lightly.
“They sure have put it together pretty good, pretty quick,” Spagnuolo said. “It’s resulted in three wins and a bunch of points. There are no easy games in this league – there is no easy offense to defend. We throw the tape on of these guys, and it’s like, “Wow.” They have got receivers and the running back (Etienne), I think, is the guy that is kind of generating it right now. Like all of these games that we play where people are going to run the football, if we don’t stop that first, then it becomes a long day.”
Coming into the week, the Jaguars have allowed just 34 pressures. The Chiefs have generated 77, according to PFF. Some of that has to do with Jacksonville’s quick-passing game, which did give the Chiefs trouble in week 1 against the Chargers.
Kansas City has been dominant at stopping the pass since the Brazil game, so something has to give there. I expect Spagnuolo to have something dialed up if the Chiefs cannot get it done with their front four.
Key injuries
Chiefs: Wide receiver Xavier Worthy (shoulder/ankle), defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott (shoulder) and cornerback Kristian Fulton (ankle) are all listed as questionable.
Jaguars: Defensive end Travon Walker (wrist) is questionable after churning out two non-participants and a limited practice.
Key game details
Location: EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida
Date: Monday, Oct. 6
Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. CT
TV/Streaming: ABC, ESPN
Broadcasters: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman
Radio: 96.5 The Fan
Head Referee: Brad Rogers
Betting Line: Chiefs -3.5 | Moneyline: -190 | Over/Under: 45.5
Weather Forecast: Partly cloudy, 74°, winds around 10-15 mph, 24% chance of rain
