The weekend was supposed to be a good one for Kansas City. The Chiefs did enough to hold off Jacksonville 27-20 at Arrowhead Stadium Saturday to advance to the AFC Championship game for the fifth straight year.
However, the focus of any Jaguars vs Chiefs recap will be centered around the status of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is a favorite in NFL MVP odds, and his sprained ankle.
While the season was a success for Jacksonville, whether the Jaguars won or lost against the Chiefs, NFL team stats show Kansas City’s numbers point to much higher aspirations as a team.
One thing Chiefs fans will enjoy for their AFC Championship game rematch with the Bengals next week is they will be able to host the game, while a game against Buffalo would have been played at a neutral site.
Henne leads a 98-yard touchdown drive
Chad Henne attempted a grand total of two passes during the regular season serving as Mahomes’ backup quarterback. The Michigan product didn’t seem phased when he was called on to take over following Mahomes’ injury in the second quarter.
On a drive where Kansas City primarily relied on the running game, Henned helped the Chiefs march 98 yards to score a touchdown that pushed Kansas City ahead 17-7.
The drive, which featured a 39-yard run from running back Isaiah Pacheco, was capped off by a one-yard touchdown pass from Henne to tight end Travis Kelce.
Henne, who finished 5-of-7 passing for 23 yards, will need to prepare if Mahomes will be on the NFL injury report. While Kansas City says Mahomes will play, it’s hard to know if Mahomes will be limited at all.
Mahomes was still effective
Even dealing with an ankle injury, it’s clear while looking at a Jaguars vs Chiefs recap that Mahomes still was vital in Kansas City winning. There aren’t many games on the Kansas City Chiefs schedule they would have won without their star quarterback playing so well. The biggest change for Mahomes was that his ankle injury prevented him from running.
NFL player stats show Mahomes only ran the ball three times for eight yards. Mahomes finished the game 22-of-30 passing for 195 yards and two touchdowns.
Jacksonville shows the future will be bright
Jacksonville Jaguars stats show they were 9.5-point underdogs entering the game against the powerful Chiefs. But Jacksonville showed several times during the game it wasn’t ready to roll over and head weakly into the offseason. Looking at a Jaguars vs Chiefs recap will show Kansas City scored on its opening possession following a 12-play, 83-yard drive.
Jacksonville showed this was going to be a game on the NFL schedule that neither team would coast. The Jaguars started their rally on the ensuing kickoff by seeing Jamal Agnew run a kickback for 63 yards.
Jacksonville would cash that return in for a touchdown five plays later when Christian Kirk caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence that allowed the Jaguars to tie the game.
Agnew’s fumble kills the comeback
Halfway through the fourth quarter, Lawrence had the Jaguars driving again deep inside Kansas City territory. Then the Jaguars’ habit of committing poor turnovers showed up again, which had been a reason Jacksonville had a hard time climbing the NFL standings.
On first-and-goal from the Kansas City 9, Lawrence found Agnew for a three-yard gain, but he had the ball punched out, and the Chiefs recovered.
When it comes to NFL matchups, Jacksonville had plenty of punch on offense to rally from 27-17 down, but Lawrence would throw an interception on Jacksonville’s next possession. Lawrence finished the game with 217 passing yards, including one touchdown and one interception.
Jacksonville keeps stats close
The Chiefs only outgained Jacksonville 362-349. The Jaguars and Chiefs each finished with 144 rushing yards apiece. Jacksonville saw former first-round pick Travis Etienne finish with 72 rushing yards and his first career playoff touchdown.
Kansas City ready for the rematch
When it comes to a matchup on the NFL schedule that Kansas City is looking forward to, it’s hard to imagine the Chiefs being more motivated than they will be to play Cincinnati again.
The Bengals have won three straight games against Kansas City, including a come-from-behind win in the AFC Championship game last season.
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