- WHERE: EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Fla.)
- WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET
- HOW TO WATCH: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, NFL+
Two streaky AFC teams close out Week 5 action when the Kansas City Chiefs travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars.
After a surprising 0-2 start to the season, Kansas City is riding a two-game winning streak heading into Monday’s contest. The Chiefs’ most recent win came against another preseaon AFC powerhouse in the Baltimore Ravens. Kansas City scored a season-high 37 points, and Patrick Mahomes threw for four touchdowns for the first time since Week 7 of the 2023 season.
The Liam Coen era in Duval is off and running. Jacksonville’s 3-1 record is the best start for the Jaguars since 2018. In the Jaguars’ Week 4 win over the 49ers, Jacksonville’s defense took advantage of San Francisco’s mistakes, scoring 17 points off turnovers.
The Chiefs have had the upper hand recently against the Jaguars. Kansas City has won eight straight games against Jacksonville, including the playoffs. Jacksonville’s last win versus Kansas City was back in Week 9 of the 2009 season. Coen and the Jaguars hope they can end the Chiefs’ winning streak on Monday Night Football.
Three must-know storylines
1) Mahomes faces tough Jaguars defense
Patrick Mahomes had a vintage performance in the victory against Baltimore last week. The Chiefs QB recorded season bests in completion percentage (67.6%), passing yards (270) and pass TDs (four). Mahomes now faces the team leading the NFL in takeaways in Jacksonville. Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile is responsible for the massive turnaround in Jacksonville’s defense. The Jaguars unit is led by the NFL’s league leader in interceptions (three) in linebacker Devin Lloyd and defensive linemen Arik Armstead, Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. Despite Hines-Allen recording 0.5 sacks, the star pass rusher has 21 QB pressures to go along with eight QB hits. Fortunately for the Chiefs, Mahomes has experience going against a team leading the NFL in takeaways. He has a 5-2 record as he’s averaged 310.7 passing yards with 19 pass touchdowns and six inteceptions. If Mahomes and the Chiefs want to keep their winning streak going, Kansas City must take care of the ball against one of the best defenses at the quarter mark of the 2025 season.
2) Lawrence, receivers need to get rolling
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is off to the best W-L four-game start of his career (3-1 record) but has struggled to get the ball to his top receivers. Lawrence is completing a career low 58.3 % of his passes, however, and has a 75.1 passer rating, which ranks 30th out of the 33 qualified QBs, per NFL Research. Brian Thomas Jr. is having a sophomore slump in his first four games. Thomas, who had seven dropped passes in his rookie year, is up to five in his second season in Duval. The Jaguars WR1 appears to lack concentration at times and miscommunication with Lawrence. However, it’s not all on Thomas as Lawrence hasn’t been accurate, either. No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter has 13 catches for 118 yards. Hunter, who has been playing both sides of the ball, has yet to make a major impact on offense. Tight end Brenton Strange leads the Jaguars with 19 receptions and 182 receiving yards. Lawrence and Co. need some explosive plays if they want to keep up with Mahomes and the Chiefs on Monday night.
3) Tale of two running games
When Liam Coen was brought to Duval many expected the first-year head coach to be the quick fix for Trevor Lawrence. But Coen’s influence has been notable in Jacksonville’s running game. Jaguars RB Travis Etienne leads the NFL with 6.1 yards per carry and ranks third wih 394 rushing yards. According to Next Gen Stats, Etienne has 170 rush yards before contact, which is most in the league. Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ backfield appears to be a shared one with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. Unfortunately, it’s been quite the opposite to Jacksonville’s run game. Patrick Mahomes leads the team with 130 yards and two scores on the ground to Pacheco’s 127 and Hunt’s 115, respectively. Kansas City will have its hands full containing Etienne, but Pacheco and Hunt need to provide a spark with their hard-nose running style.