Chiefs-Jaguars on 'Monday Night Football': What We Learned from Jacksonville's 31-28 win

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1. Lawrence leads Jags to crazy win. In one game-winning stumble to six, Trevor Lawrence summed up his and the Jaguars’ performance in a dramatic, this-is-who-we-are win over the Chiefs on Monday night. Stepped on by his right guard, Lawrence fell to the EverBank Stadium turf on first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. His first attempt to rise to his feet failed, but his second try led to him running through a tackle and diving over the goal line for the game-winning score and Jacksonville’s first 4-1 start since 2007. Moments earlier, Lawrence had held onto the ball too long, trying to play the hero and gave up a bad sack. Then he made a pair of clutch throws to Brian Thomas Jr. for 33 yards and Dyami Brown for 13. Then there was an incompletion on a dangerous pass and an inexplicable delay of game. Then, ultimately, Lawrence fell down and picked himself and the team up with the score. Down, 14-0, in the second quarter, the Jags rallied. Down, 28-24, with 1:45 to play, they did it again. Lawrence and Liam Coen’s offense looked discombobulated for much of the game -- but they also looked impressive at other points. Lawrence ran for a team-high 54 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing for one. He also was picked and fumbled at his 1-yard line. It was a topsy-turvy showing, but Jacksonville -- playing in its only prime-time game on the schedule this year -- announced its legitimacy in chaotic fashion. 
2. Mahomes can’t captain comeback. Since Patrick Mahomes became a starter in 2018, he’s orchestrated 19 fourth-quarter comebacks -- the most in the NFL. He and the Chiefs came up short of No. 20 looking very un-Chiefs-like. Ahead of the Jaguars’ game-winning drive, Harrison Butker booted the kickoff out of bounds, giving Jacksonville the ball at its 40. When Mahomes and Co. took over with just 30 seconds to play, a holding penalty on the kick return set them up at their 17. Two incompletion followed, including one to Marquise Brown that skimmed off the receiver’s shoulder after he didn’t get his head around. Then there was a delay of game and a play later it was over. Mahomes led with his arm and legs through plenty of offensive peaks and valleys on Monday. In the end, though, the Chiefs are 2-3 after Mahomes and the Chiefs had impressively taken a 14-0 lead after three drives. For multiple stretches on both sides of the ball, the Chiefs looked good, perhaps just about as good as they have all year, but it was the upstart Jags who served a mercurial Monday.
3. Jaguars show some fight, Lloyd stays hot. By all statistical accounts, the Jaguars were front-runners in their 3-1 start. In their first four games, they trailed for an NFL-low 9 minutes and 10 seconds. In the Week 5 finale, however, Jacksonville was down 14-0 -- its largest deficit by 10 points this year. It trailed for the first time at halftime. Yet, the Jaguars came roaring back, impressively forcing a three-and-out on the Chiefs’ second-half opening drive and then tying the game up on their ensuing offensive drive. With the Chiefs aiming to fire right back, the Jaguars bent all the way to their 1-yard line before Devin Lloyd's 99-yard INT return for a score. Lloyd might be the hottest player in football right now. The reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week and AFC Defensive Player of the Month, jumped on a Mahomes pass over the middle, juked a Mahomes tackle attempt, broke a Kareem Hunt tackle and held on to the ball after an all-out-hustle strip attempt by Tyquan Thornton. It was the Jaguars’ league-leading 14th takeaway of the season, but their only one of the night. Jacksonville allowed 476 yards of offense. It’s had better showings, but the fight was there for four quarters. 
4. Silver linings in KC loss? Nick Bolton had what appeared to be the highlight of a would-be blowout when he punched the ball loose from Trevor Lawrence, who reached the pigskin over the goal line on a fourth-and-1 play. Bolton, who had 12 tackles, set up a massive sequence in which the Chiefs took over, sprinted 97 yards in five plays and 2:52 for a 14-0 lead. The Chiefs defense allowed 319 yards and had a pair of takeaways, whilst sacking Lawrence three times. The Chiefs running game showed life with Kareem Hunt scoring a pair of TDs and turning in a 33-yard gain, the longest by a KC RB this year. Kansas City’s 158 rushing yards were a season high. This was a game in which it seemed the Chiefs were poised to win, until they didn’t.
5. Hunter has most enticing performance yet. Getting the start on both sides of the ball, rookie Travis Hunter turned in arguably his most promising outing yet. The biggest highlight was a 44-yard reception in the third quarter in which the Colorado product skied for an acrobatic grab that surpassed his previous game-high for receiving yards by itself. That was 42 the previous week against the 49ers. In this one, Hunter had three receptions for 64 yards to go with two tackles and a pass breakup, recording 35 snaps on offense and 25 on defense. At corner, he was targeted thrice and allowed just one catch for 7 yards, per Next Gen Stats. Hunter is coming along nicely.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Chiefs-Jaguars (via NFL Pro): Trevor Lawrence’s game-long 44-yard connection with Travis Hunter had just a 15.5% completion probability.  

NFL Research: Devin Lloyd’s 99-yard interception return for a touchdown is the longest defensive score in Jaguars history and the longest pick-six by a linebacker in NFL regular-season chronicle.