Chiefs Offensive Tackles Looking To Get In Groove Vs Jaguars

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This Sunday’s matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars will feature many exciting players. While most of the names drawing attention are skill players or quarterbacks, the trenches offer a lot of intrigue among these teams. One matchup to focus on in particular, would be that of the Chiefs offensive tackles going up against the Jaguars defensive front.

Overall, Jacksonville is a multiple, attacking defense who runs a base 3-4 scheme. The Jaguars have the speed to put possible pressure on Kansas City. Meanwhile, the Chiefs offensive tackle duo of Donovan Smith and former Jaguar Jawaan Taylor did not necessarily have the cleanest end results last week. The Detroit Lions did well to switch some key pass rushers inside or out, giving a plethora of different looks upfront.

All told, Smith and Taylor must be able to take advantage of their size and power when going up against this quicker Jacksonville group. That will be the focus of today’s piece, as we look into this specific personnel matchup entering Sunday. Let’s kick it off.

Jacksonville One Of League’s More Stingy Pass Rushes Last Season

You may be a little surprised to learn that the Jacksonville Jaguars were among the more stingy pass rushes last year. They may not have finished on as many sacks as other teams. But, their 35 sacks still showed up in crucial moments and helped the Jaguars make a key run to the playoffs. Where Jacksonville has really impressed, is with the development and improvement of younger pass rushers.

Travon Walker had some moments as a rookie last season in which he was crashing into the backfield without being touched or without breaking a stride. His rare athleticism was a nice touch to complement the underrated Josh Allen. Simply put, Allen is a well-rounded pass rusher. His understanding of leverage and reducing rush angles are areas that could possibly test the Chiefs offensive tackles this week. Finally, names like Roy Robertson-Harris and Folorunso Fatukasi can also offer nimble quickness for players of their size. Add that into the length and density of that duo, and blockers are sometimes left guessing.

In total, the Jaguars were tied with the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets last year for the sixth-best team pass rush win rate (44 percent). If this unit can get on a roll, there is no offensive line that should feel comfortable against this group that tends to fly under the radar. The Chiefs pose a challenging test with their own set of blockers. Yet, Jacksonville’s pass rush can quickly wreck games if they find their groove.

Smith And Taylor Must Try To Match Jaguars Speed

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As mentioned above, Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor have a chance to thwart the Jaguars and their hopes, due to their mix of size and power. Neither of these two Chiefs offensive tackles will be lauded for their athletic ability. Though, Kansas City could look for Smith and Taylor to get in a groove by attempting to match and shut down their speed.

Smith has had penalty trouble in recent years. That even showed up on one play last week, which led to a holding call on the new Chiefs blocker. Elsewhere, much has been made about the get off and technique of Taylor throughout his pass sets. If anything, this Kansas City pair could potentially look to match the Jaguars speed and quickness with those flamboyant techniques. If that occurs and Smith and Taylor routinely get their proper angles, the Chiefs offensive tackles could play cleaner and maintain proper balance or leverage.

Can Kansas City Work Swiftly On Offense?

We are used to seeing the Chiefs offense work at a heightened pace, more often than not. It was a bit of a different story last week. Some of that was obviously due to the absence of star tight end Travis Kelce. In other moments though, the protection breakdown forced Patrick Mahomes off of his spot earlier than he anticipated.

Can Kansas City’s offense work swiftly on Sunday? If so, it may not only help out the Chiefs offensive tackles with their timing. On top of that, it could also lead to more limited looks by the Jaguars defensive front. This multiple group can often create prime one-on-one opportunities, leaving opposing blockers on islands. But if the Chiefs offense can play to their usual pace, Smith and Taylor may not have to worry as much about the varied attacks that Jacksonville can present.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.