Polar opposites on the turnover spectrum will meet on Monday night in Jacksonville.
- Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) has a pass broken up by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (33) during the fourth quarter of a NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 17-9. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – AFC Defensive Player of the Month Devin Lloyd had two interceptions in last week’s win at San Francisco. Patrick Mahomes hasn’t thrown two interceptions in eight months.
This week’s matchup between the Chiefs (2-2) and Jaguars (3-1) on Monday Night Football (7:15 p.m. CT, ESPN/ABC, KMBC Ch. 9, 96.5 The Fan) pairs polar opposites. That Mahomes interception, deflected off Travis Kelce’s hands in the Week 2 Super Bowl rematch against Philadelphia, is Kansas City’s only turnover this year.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville leads the league in takeaways (13), interceptions (nine) and turnover margin (plus-nine).
“Yeah, they catch the ball well, first of all, and they work,” head coach Andy Reid said Thursday. “They’re disciplined in their lanes, on their zones, drops, opportunistic on tipped balls. And then they’ve stripped out a couple balls. They go after you. You’ve got to make sure that you’re aware of that as you play them for sure.”
- Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) drops back to pass during the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Fundamentally sound
Mahomes is aware. The quarterback noted that NFL teams don’t get that many takeaways in four games in accidental fashion.
“First off, very fundamentally sound,” Mahomes said Thursday. “And when you have a fundamentally sound defense that’s that talented with the amount of players that they have at every single level of the defense, that’s a hard defense to go against.
“And they do a great job attacking the football. They’re causing the turnovers, not like the turnovers are just happening there. They’re punching the football, they’re tipping passes, they’re intercepting the football, and they get their hands on it.”
- Jacksonville Jaguars fans wear ponchos as it rains before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars held off the Titans 20-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Keeping hands on footballs might be even more of a challenge on Monday night. The forecast currently calls for 40 percent chance of thunderstorms and 75 degrees, the perfect recipe for slippery footballs.
“The guys have done a nice job keeping it high and tight when needed,” Reid said, “and not having tipped balls. All the things that kind of lead to those. And then, this is a potential weather game, so you add that into it, too. You got to make sure that you really take care of the football.”
- Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) hands the ball off to Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (10) during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Fumbles few and far between
So far this season, the Chiefs have fumbled four times, but that includes two backward passes in the Week 3 win over the Giants, including the remarkable recovery Mahomes made to prevent a touchdown. Isiah Pacheco hasn’t fumbled since the Super Bowl 58 win over San Francisco. He’s gone 152 straight touches without one.
“It’ll be a great challenge for us,” Mahomes added. “We have to make sure that we’re really fundamentally sound as well, and we can’t give them any opportunity because they’re capitalizing on them.”
During Steve Spagnuolo’s time as Kansas City defensive coordinator (2019-present), the Chiefs are 41-1 (.976) when winning the turnover margin. Including a 5-0 mark in postseason, the Chiefs have captured 39 straight victories under those circumstances, their last loss coming Oct. 13, 2019.
