Jaguars vs Chiefs: Head to Head History

by James Idayi
Jaguars vs Chiefs: Head to Head History

When the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the 1st overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, Jacksonville likely had one main objective in mind: find a quarterback that can beat the Kansas City Chiefs. At the point, the Chiefs had just come off two consecutive Super Bowl appearances, won one of them, and were an AFC Championship Game mainstay. Of course, much of Kansas City’s success can be owed to Patrick Mahomes, their superstar quarterback. The Jaguars saw what Mahomes did for the Chiefs, and hoped Trevor Lawrence could do the same for their franchise.

While this success hasn’t happened yet, Lawrence has proved himself to be a top-tier NFL quarterback — and appears destined for a bright future. Yet, if Lawrence’s Jaguars squad wants to realize their Super Bowl dreams, they’ll need to beat those Kansas City Chiefs; a hurdle they haven’t been able to surpass. At least, not yet.

In this article, we’ll discuss the head to head history between the Jaguars and the Chiefs, break down their rivalry background, analyze their 2023 AFC Divisional matchup, and predict how they’ll match up in 2023-24 (and beyond).

Jaguars vs Chiefs Head to Head History

The Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars have played each other 16 times, counting both the regular season and the playoffs. The Chiefs currently hold a 10-6 record in those games, and are 1-0 against Jacksonville in the playoffs.

Kansas City and Jacksonville’s first matchup came on November 9, 1997, in a game that the Jaguars won 24-10. The most recent matchup between these franchises came on September 17, 2023, which the Chiefs won 17-9.

The Chiefs currently hold an 8-game winning streak against the Jaguars. In fact, it has been nearly 15 years since the Jaguars beat the Chiefs, with their last victory coming on November 8, 2009.

Jaguars vs Chiefs Stats

DateVisitorVisitor ScoreHomeHome ScoreResultGame Type
09/17/2023Kansas City Chiefs17Jacksonville Jaguars9LRegular Season
01/21/2023Jacksonville Jaguars20Kansas City Chiefs27LAFC Divisional Playoff
11/13/2022Jacksonville Jaguars17Kansas City Chiefs27LRegular Season
09/08/2019Kansas City Chiefs40Jacksonville Jaguars26LRegular Season
10/07/2018Jacksonville Jaguars14Kansas City Chiefs30LRegular Season
11/06/2016Jacksonville Jaguars14Kansas City Chiefs19LRegular Season
09/08/2013Kansas City Chiefs28Jacksonville Jaguars2LRegular Season
10/24/2010Jacksonville Jaguars20Kansas City Chiefs42LRegular Season
11/08/2009Kansas City Chiefs21Jacksonville Jaguars24WRegular Season
10/07/2007Jacksonville Jaguars17Kansas City Chiefs7WRegular Season
12/31/2006Jacksonville Jaguars30Kansas City Chiefs35LRegular Season
10/17/2004Kansas City Chiefs16Jacksonville Jaguars22WRegular Season
09/15/2002Jacksonville Jaguars23Kansas City Chiefs16WRegular Season
12/30/2001Kansas City Chiefs30Jacksonville Jaguars26LRegular Season
09/13/1998Kansas City Chiefs16Jacksonville Jaguars21WRegular Season
11/09/1997Kansas City Chiefs10Jacksonville Jaguars24WRegular Season

Kansas City Chiefs lead series 10-6-0 Points Scored: Kansas City Chiefs 381, Jacksonville Jaguars 309

Jaguars vs Chiefs Head to Head Analysis

Analyzing the historical game log between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Kansas City Chiefs, several key insights emerge:

  1. Series Record: The Kansas City Chiefs lead the series with a record of 10-6-0 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This indicates a relatively strong performance by the Chiefs in this matchup.
  2. Recent Performance:
    • In recent years, the Chiefs have maintained their dominance over the Jaguars, as evidenced by their victories in the most recent matchups, including the 2023 regular season game and the 2023 AFC Divisional Playoff game.
    • The Jaguars have struggled to secure wins against the Chiefs in the last few years, reflecting a potential disparity in team strengths during this period.
  3. Playoff Encounters:
    • The two teams have met once in the postseason (2023 AFC Divisional Playoff), with the Chiefs emerging victorious. This indicates the Chiefs’ ability to maintain their edge in high-stakes games.
  4. Points Scored:
    • The total points scored in the series are 381 for the Chiefs and 309 for the Jaguars. The higher scoring by the Chiefs aligns with their series lead.
    • The point difference is not overly large, suggesting that while the Chiefs lead the series, the games are often competitive.
  5. Notable Games:
    • The 2019 and 2018 games were high-scoring affairs with the Chiefs scoring 40 and 30 points, respectively, showcasing their offensive strength.
    • The Jaguars’ wins, notably in 2007 and 2004, demonstrate their ability to occasionally upset the Chiefs.
  6. Home vs. Away Performance:
    • The Chiefs have shown strong performances both at home and away, indicating a consistency in their gameplay against the Jaguars regardless of the venue.
    • The Jaguars’ wins have come both at home and away but are less frequent, suggesting challenges in consistently overcoming the Chiefs.
  7. Overall Analysis:
    • The Kansas City Chiefs have exhibited a consistent upper hand in this series, especially in recent years.
    • The Jacksonville Jaguars have had moments of success but have faced challenges in turning these into a consistent winning pattern against the Chiefs.
    • The series is marked by occasional high-scoring games, indicating an offensive prowess, particularly by the Chiefs.

In summary, the historical encounters between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs show a predominance of Kansas City in the series, with Jacksonville needing strategic improvements to bridge the gap in future matchups.

Jaguars vs Chiefs Rivalry Background

Aside from the quarterback rivalry between Mahomes and Lawrence (which isn’t much of a rivalry, considering that Lawrence has never defeated Mahomes), the only reason for vitriol between these two teams would be because of the aforementioned 15-year losing streak that the Jaguars have against Kansas City.

Of course, this is more than enough reason for Jaguars fans to strongly dislike Chiefs nation — especially after what happened during their matchup in the 2023 AFC Divisional playoff round.

Jaguars vs Chiefs 2023 AFC Divisional Playoffs

After finishing the 2022-23 NFL regular season with a 14-3 record, the Kansas City Chiefs were the #1 seed in the AFC, and earned a first round bye in the playoffs.

Upon finishing the 2022-23 NFL regular season with a 9-8 record (but winning the AFC South division outright), the Jacksonville Jaguars were the #4 seed in the AFC playoffs, and were matched up against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round. After beating the Chargers in a nail-biting 31-30 game, the Jaguars were then matched up to play the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the Divisional round.

The Jaguars received the ball first in this playoff game, but punted on their opening drive. In the Chiefs’ first drive, Patrick Mahomes completed 7 of 8 passes for 69 yards; the last a 6-yard touchdown throw to tight end Travis Kelce to give Kansas City a 7-0 lead. After a big kickoff return from Jaguars’ Jamal Agnew, the Jaguars produced a successful second drive which culminated with a 10 yard touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence to Christian Kirk, that tied the score 7–7.

In the second quarter, Mahomes responded with a drive that involved him completing 6 of 7 passes, and that was finished by Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker nailing a 50-yard field goal. But Mahomes also sustained an ankle injury during the drive, which caused him to miss the next series.

The Jaguars didn’t score in the next possession. Now led by Ched Henne, the Chiefs produced a 13-play, 98-yard drive that ended with Henne throwing a 1-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce, giving the Chiefs a 17-7 lead. Jacksonville responded with a 52-yard drive, which ended with a 41-yard field goal by kicker Riley Patterson, cutting their deficit to 17–10 going into halftime.

Mahomes returned to the game after halftime, but was clearly still injured. After punts by both Kansas City and Jacksonville, the Chiefs scored first in the third quarter with a 50-yard field goal from Butker that made the game 20-10.

Jacksonville started the fourth quarter with the ball and produced their longest drive of the game, going 80 yards in 10 plays. Led by runs and catches by Christian Kirk, the Jaguars ultimately scored on a 4-yard touchdown run from Travis Etienne, making the score 20-17. But Kansas City answered right away, driving 70 yards in 13 plays which ended with Mahomes throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, putting the team up 27–17 with 7 minutes left to play.

After another great kick return from Jamal Agnew, Lawrence was driving his Jaguars down the field before Agnew caught a ball right in front of the end zone then fumbled it, which was recovered by Kansas City. The Chiefs punted, but were able to intercept a pass from Lawrence on the Jaguars next drive that enabled Kansas City to run the clock down to 1:04. Lawrence got the ball back, completed a few passes to set up a 48-yard field goal (making the score 20-27), but then Kansas City recovered the ensuing onside kick, which ended the game. Therefore, the Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship Game while the Jaguars season ended.

Jaguars vs Chiefs 2023-24 Team Analysis

The Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars already played during Week 2 of the 2023-24 NFL regular season — which the Chiefs won 17-9.

Despite the loss, the Jaguars have been playing excellent football so far this season, currently owning a 6-2 record and sitting atop the AFC South Division. The Chiefs currently have a 7-2 record, and are leading the AFC West Division. It’s quite clear that each of these teams will make the playoffs once again; and perhaps even be the top two seeds in the AFC. If this does end up being the case, there’s a good chance these two teams will rematch in the AFC Championship game. While that hypothetical game is too far away to predict, Trevor Lawrence certainly believes that the next time he faces Mahomes and the Chiefs will be the first time he ever beats them. And for Mahomes & Co. (the defending Super Bowl Champions), they’re clearly confident that they can beat anybody in the league, on any given day.

What’s for sure is that, whenever these two teams face off (both now and in the future), fans are treated to an excellent matchup between well-rounded teams and elite quarterbacks. Yet, before we can truly call Trevor Lawrence a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback, he’ll need to find a way to beat the Chiefs.

James Idayi
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