JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Chiefs are nowhere akin to being a well-oiled gadget to begin 2023. They’ve had too many neglected alternatives, and their execution has been clunky. Whisk your select within the first couple weeks of the season: consequences, dropped passes, submits.

However within the season debut for superstar DT Chris Jones, Kansas Town noticed its protection information the workforce into the win column. 

“I’m an offensive guy,” Chiefs teacher Andy Reid mentioned, “but that was a beautiful thing defensively.”

The Chiefs beat the Jaguars 17-9 at the highway for his or her first victory of the season. It got here through preventing the Jaguars offense, one of the crucial league’s maximum high-powered devices. 

Trevor Lawrence, in Time 3, began to come back into his personal as a franchise quarterback the second one part of latter season. And this 12 months, the Jaguars added Calvin Ridley to a pass-catching corps that had 3 avid gamers put up greater than 70 receptions latter season — tight finish Evan Engram and receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. It’s a gaggle that scored 31 issues in its season opener. It’s a gaggle at the ascent. 

It’s the similar unit Kansas Town held touchdown-less, although Jacksonville had simply two offensive consequences and reached plus dimension seven instances.

The Jaguars performed a key function in their very own ineptitude, however the Chiefs’ protection held company when it had to. 

3 Jacksonville drives reached the crimson zone, together with its latter two possessions. The house workforce ran 13 performs within the 20. They went nowhere, with the Chiefs forcing the Jaguars into garden objectives with stout run protection and smothering cross protection. 

Lawrence went 0-for-7 passing within the crimson zone, essentially the most red-zone makes an attempt with no crowning glory in 17 years, in keeping with ESPN Stats & Knowledge. 

Jones, who neglected Kansas Town’s season-opening loss to the Lions amid his agreement dispute with the Chiefs, made his presence felt in his go back: 1½ sacks, 3 pressures and a cross breakup. In keeping with Then Gen Stats, he performed 31 snaps, together with simply seven in opposition to the run.

“Just to be able to make that impact on a game after not being in training camp,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes mentioned of Jones. “You can work out as much as you want [away from the team]. To be able to come to Jacksonville, where it’s hot and humid, and just dominate against a great team, it’s special. It truly is special. I’m glad he’s on our team.”

In spite of having 3 submits, the Chiefs did plenty offensively to assemble the victory imaginable. 

Overdue in the second one quarter, they transformed a fourth-and-2 on the Jaguars’ 42 — a Mahomes cross to operating again Clyde Edwards-Helaire — sparking a scoring pressure capped through a landing snatch through wideout Skyy Moore.  

In short, at the beginning of the second one part, Kansas Town appeared like the offensive juggernaut we’ve identified it to be with Reid and Mahomes. Working again Isiah Pacheco rattled off a 31-yard run at the first play games from scrimmage within the 0.33 quarter. 3 performs next, receiver Justin Watson beat Jaguars cornerback Tre Herndon for a 34-yard reception. Mahomes capped the sequence on a longer play games, floating a nine-yard cross to superstar tight finish Travis Kelce finally zone to assemble it 14-6 early within the 0.33 quarter. 

Ahead of the two-minute threat, on a third-and-6 retaining onto a 17-9 top within the ultimate length, the Chiefs iced the sport, with Mahomes and Moore connecting for a 54-yard catch and run. Herndon, protecting Moore out of the slot, slipped when the second-year receiver destitute around the garden. 

Kansas Town’s 17 issues marked its lowest general since Pace 3 latter season in opposition to the Colts, and the workforce’s fewest in a win since Pace 9 of the 2021 marketing campaign. 

The Chiefs on Sunday had 399 yards of offense, however went simply 2-of-4 within the crimson zone, together with 1-of-3 from goal-to-go distance. Additionally they transformed on simply 30.7% in their third-down makes an attempt (4-of-13). 

Their greatest killer: 12 consequences for a lack of 94 yards.

“Too many procedure penalties, turnovers,” Reid mentioned. “We’ll get that taken care of.”

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We’ve grown conversant in the Chiefs offense generating fireworks, to automatically generating 30-plus issues. On this unused season, they’re looking to rediscover that. Kelce (4 catches on 9 goals, 26 yards) had an off efficiency in his season debut, too. 

Date the Chiefs will consider the method offensively, they had been in a position to depend on their protection this presen. 

“It’s still early in the season,” Kelce mentioned. ” What you guys just saw is the second game of bringing all the new pieces together. We’re going to keep building. We’re going to keep growing. I know we have great leadership, but right now, hats off to the defense for the way they’re playing, keeping us in games. We love them for it. 

“We need to oppose taking pictures ourselves within the footing on offense.”

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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