Chiefs vs. Jaguars Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Trevor Lawrence Outshine Patrick Mahomes on Sunday?
After losing the opening game of the 2023 season, the Kansas City Chiefs are hoping to bounce back against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But will Trevor Lawrence outshine Patrick Mahomes on Sunday? Jason Radowitz provides his Chiefs vs. Jaguars prediction and pick.
Jason Radowitz - September 13, 2023, 10:15 AM EDT
5 minChiefs vs. Jaguars Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Trevor Lawrence Outshine Patrick Mahomes on Sunday?
Many top-tier quarterbacks struggled in Week 1.
We're heading into a new era of football, or our favorite stars will figure it out shortly.
I'm going to go with option two.
Patrick Mahomes is just 27 years old and has been to three Super Bowls in his career. He doesn't have much help at receiver right now. However, that could change once Travis Kelce's knee heals up.
The Chiefs lost a heartbreaker to the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football last weekend. Countless dropped passes and poorly executed plays allowed the Lions to steal a victory over the Chiefs.
Now, Kansas City will look to earn its first win of the season on the road against an excellent Jacksonville Jaguars team.
The Jaguars escaped the Indianapolis Colts after a promising fourth quarter pushed them over the top with a 31-21 win.
Can the Jaguars push the defending champions to 0-2 to begin the season?
Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for Sunday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars.
Chiefs vs. Jaguars Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds
- Date: September 17, 2023
- Game Time: 1:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: CBS
Chiefs vs. Jaguars Odds
- Spread: Chiefs -3 (-110), Jaguars +3 (-110)
- Total Odds: O/U 51 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: Chiefs (-155), Jaguars (+130)
Chiefs vs. Jaguars Injury Report
Chiefs
Questionable: CB Nic Jones (Hand), TE Travis Kelce (Knee), DE BJ Thompson (Hamstring)
Out: DE Charles Omenihu (Suspension)
Jaguars
Questionable: S Antonio Johnson (Hamstring), CB Gregory Junior (Hamstring), DE Tyler Lacy (Hip), OL Brandon Scherff (Ankle)
Out: DT Davon Hamilton (Back), OT Cooper Hodges (Knee), OL Cam Robinson (Suspension), LB Dawuane Smoot (Achilles)
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Prediction
The world wants to know if Travis Kelce will be available for the Chiefs in Week 2.
However, when you type Travis Kelce in Google, all the recent articles are about Kelce dating Taylor Swift.
That's important. But his status for Sunday is more important to us sports bettors!
Kelce has a bone bruise in his knee that prevented him from playing for the Chiefs in Week 1. It was costly because Kadarious Toney and Skyy Moore dropped countless passes, eventually costing the Chiefs the game against the Lions in Week 1.
The Mahomes and the Chiefs still have confidence in their receivers. But the Chiefs need Kelce back in the lineup.
Kelce added 1,338 yards on a career-high 110 receptions last season. He also scored a career-high 12 touchdowns and hauled in 110 of his 152 targets.
Kelce has been the glue guy for the Chiefs since he came into the league in 2014.
In his rookie season, he added 862 yards on 67 targets. Since 2016, he hasn't had a season without 1,000 yards. If Kelce returns against the Jaguars, the Chiefs will be in a much better spot. But it's still unclear if he'll be able to play.
The Chiefs won't be stupid about it. They'll wait until he's 100 percent before putting him into the game.
Meanwhile, the defense wasn't excellent against the Lions last weekend. They allowed 371 yards, including over 250 yards in the passing game. Kansas City aggressively brought back Chris Jones for the defensive line after realizing how poorly the defense played.
Jones was holding out for a new contract extension. He got a one-year deal that he felt was good enough to return. Jones will be a massive help to a defense that certainly needs it.
On the other hand, the Jaguars added 346 yards on offense behind Trevor Lawrence, who threw for 241 yards and a touchdown. Calvin Ridley debuted with Jacksonville after sitting out last season due to sports betting.
Ridley added 101 yards on eight catches and scored a touchdown. He'll be an integral part of this offense moving forward. However, the run game was good with Travis Etienne. I just thought that the offensive line could've been much better.
On the flip side, the Jaguars were solid with tackling and kept the Colts to just 65 yards on the ground in the run game. The coverage looked good, but after facing Anthony Richardson, it's hard to know how good the Jaguars' secondary really played.
Richardson isn't always the most accurate quarterback.
But either way, the Jaguars played better than the Chiefs in Week 1.
With Kelce's status up in the air, give the Jaguars at home with the points.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Pick
- Jaguars +3 -110 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
NFL Odds
