Costly Turnovers Doom Jaguars in Loss to Chiefs
From beginning to end, it was a game of missed opportunities
and mistakes for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, in a 19-14 loss at Kansas
City. Jacksonville turned the ball over four times and Kansas City got 13
points as a direct result of those miscues.
The Chiefs (6-2) were held in check for much of the day by a
game Jaguars’ defense, that held Kansas City to 231 yards. Unfortunately for
Jacksonville, the home team took advantage of multiple short field situations
and that was the difference.
It was a much better performance offensively for Jacksonville,
as they racked up 449 yards in total offense, including 126 in the first half.
They had just 60 first half yards 10 days ago against the Titans. The running
game was much better under new offensive coordinator Nate Hackett and will
hopefully give Jacksonville something to build on, going forward.
Jacksonville (2-6) had a chance at an interception early,
but Prince Amukamura was run into by
his own man and dropped the ball. That proved to be key, because Kansas City
got their first turnover of the day later in the first quarter when Bryan
Walters fumbled a punt, recovered by Kansas City at the Jaguars 23.
It took just two plays for the Chiefs to score, when
quarterback Nick Foles found Albert Wilson, making it 7-0, with 1:49 left in
the first quarter.
The Jaguars had a 43-yard run by Chris Ivory on the first
play of their next drive, but a run by quarterback Blake Bortles for 12 yards was one yard shy of a first down,
forcing the Jaguars into a 4th-and-1 that they did not convert.
Kansas City had to punt on their next possession, but they
got the ball back two plays later, when Bortles threw an inexplicably bad
interception with his receiver nowhere near the ball. Chiefs linebacker Ramik
Wilson made the play and Bortles made a bad situation worse when he was called
for an illegal block during the return.
Despite starting the drive at the 14, the Jaguars defense
held the Chiefs to a Cairo Santos 28-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead with 9:54
left in the half.
Late in the half, Bortles and the Jaguars were finally able
to get into second gear. Marqise Lee
had an 11-yard catch, Marcedes Lewis was good for 17 and Allen Robinson caught one for 20. Later in the drive, Bortles
almost gave it all away, throwing one off the hands of a Chiefs defender inside
the 1-yard line. He overcame that, later when he found Robinson in the back of
the end zone, for the toe-tapping touchdown. The score came with 0:02 seconds
left in the half and could’ve been a great momentum builder.
The Chiefs were unsuccessful on their opening drive of the
second half and the Jaguars were moving, on the ensuing drive, but a sack of
Bortles put them in a 3rd-and-17 hole. Yeldon found a hole on the
next play and was at the first down marker when he had the ball stripped and
Kansas City recovered.
Santos turned that into a 51-yard field goal on the other
end and the Chiefs were up 13-7. He hit a 24-yarder on the next Kansas City
possession and that made it 16-7 with 3:59 left in the third.
Jacksonville got a 45-yard kickoff return from Lee, setting
them up with good field position, but after a 19-yard catch by Robinson, the
drive stalled and Jason Myers missed a 54-yard field goal. Allen Hurns, who
missed a couple big chances on great throws from Bortles that he couldn’t come
away with, was evaluated for a concussion on that drive. He did not return.
Kansas City got yet another field goal on their next drive,
despite a sequence that saw tight end Travis Kelce vehemently upset with a
no-call on a pass interference in the end zone. He was hit with an
unsportsmanlike conduct call as he was walking away. He turned back around and
threw his glove in the direction of the official, resulting in his immediate
ejection and a 3rd-and-34 situation for the Chiefs.
Even after all that, Santos came up with a 36-yard field
goal and a 19-7 lead for Kansas City.
Jacksonville looked poised to cut into the deficit on the
next drive when Lee made a play down the sideline good for 51 yards, down to
the KC three.
Two plays later, Chris
Ivory took the ball up the middle, but was hit and fumbled into the end
zone. Despite replays that showed he may have been down, the call was upheld
and the Chiefs were rewarded with a touchback.
After the Jags defense forced a punt, Jacksonville went on a
nine-play, 61-yard drive that was capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from
Bortles to Yeldon, cutting the lead to 19-14, with 4:10 left.
Jacksonville’s D stepped up big on the next Kansas City
possession, pinning them deep after a sack by Sen'Derrick Marks lost 18 yards. A big punt by of 59 yards by
Dustin Colquitt hurt the Jaguars field position some, as they started at the
35.
Bortles did run for 26 yards to get the Jaguars into Kansas
City territory, but three plays later, on 4th-and-3, he sent a pass
in the direction of Walters that fell incomplete. The Chiefs ran out the clock
from there.
Bortles finished 22-of-41 for 251 yards and ran six times
for 54. Ivory led the running game with 107 yards. Lee was the Jaguars leading
receiver, with four catches for 84 yards. Robinson caught seven for 76.
The Jaguars return home on Sunday, to host the Houston
Texans at 1:00 p.m. EST.
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