Jaguars vs. Chiefs: 5 Players to Watch

The Jaguars are undefeated! 

The team was able to rally from behind against their in-division rival Colts last week, besting Indianapolis 31-21. This week, the reigning Super Bowl Champions come to visit Jacksonville in their home opener. The Kansas Chiefs lost a hard fought battle last week against the Detroit Lions but return this week healthier with the return of Travis Kelce and recently re-signed Chris Jones.

Here are five players to watch if Jacksonville is to start the year out 2-0.

Ben Bartch

Ben Bartch has been an NFL darling since his smoothie recipe debuted at the NFL combine in 2020. Since then he has become a staple of the Jaguars offensive line as both a backup and as a starter at various times. Last year, unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending knee injury that cut a promising season short for the former Saint John’s lineman.

This year Bartch re-enters as the team’s starting left guard, however, Bartch struggled mightily against a nasty Colts defensive line led by DeForest Buckner. It won’t get any easier this week either as the Chief’s All-Pro lineman Chris Jones is back after a holdout throughout camp, even missing the Chiefs’ season opener. Bartch needs to have a bounce back game as Jones has been a thorn in Trevor Lawrence’s side on more than one occasion before.

Evan Engram

With Travis Kelce set to play, the Jaguars will look to their own star tight end to match Kelce’s energy. While Kelce is a one of a kind tight end, Engram is still among the NFL’s best. In 2022, Engram finished second in the NFL with 481 yards after the catch, behind only Kelce.

Last week, Engram was heavily involved as we all thought he would be, hauling in five balls for 49 yards. One of those five was an impressive sideline ball good for 26 yards. If the Jaguars are going to keep up with the high-powered Kansas City offense led by Pat Mahomes and Kelce, Engram might just be the guy to target early and often.

Travon Walker

Jaguars’ fans were a bit disappointed and dismayed in 2022 with their first overall selection from Georgia. Walker had a slow 2022, collecting 36 pressures and four sacks during his rookie campaign. In his first game of 2023, Walker seemed to have a fire burning within him, gathering four pressures and a sack, tied with Josh Allen for a team-high in pressures.

With Chris Jones back in the fold for Kansas City, the Jaguars will need a great pass rush of their own to fluster the stoic Mahomes. If Allen and Walker can both fire out of the gates Sunday, the Jaguars defense might have the opportunity for some turnovers courtesy of the unflappable Chiefs’ quarterback.

Rayshawn Jenkins

Of the Jaguars’ starters, Rayshawn Jenkins might have had the roughest of games against the Colts. Recently restructured to a new deal, Jaguars’ fans loved what they saw from Jenkins in the back half of 2022 as the safety was crucial to numerous clutch wins, including Dallas and Tennessee.

In Week 1, however, Jenkins allowed five catches on eight targets for 46 yards. He did collect five tackles as well, but had a missed tackle mixed in, something that has plagued him in his career. In 2022, Jenkins was tied for second in the NFL in missed tackles with 24. Jenkins needs to improve against the Chiefs in both tackling and coverage if the Jaguars are to slow down the dominant Chiefs’ offense, especially if Jenkins is asked to cover Kelce.

Jamal Agnew

Time and time again, Jamal Agnew delivers an electric play to put the Jaguars’ offense in position to win. Last week, he delivered with a 47-yard punt return to set the Jaguars up in great field position. It isn’t just his return skills that should scare defenses as the Jaguars will no doubt have some plays in the bag to get the ball into No.39’s hands.

Whether against the Arizona Cardinals in 2021 or last year’s AFC Divisional game against the Chiefs, Agnew has reliably made great plays to help boost the offense’s chances of scoring. He’s simply one of the league’s best returners and the Jaguars could use one of those game-changing plays this weekend to help put the team in a better position to win.