Halftime Speech: Jaguars @ Chiefs
JT: Written during the games actual halftime
As if Doug Pederson invited JaguarsTalk into the locker room to give the halftime adjustments. This is Kansas City folks, not Las Vegas. You can’t expect to shut out Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in the second half.
To the Defense: Stop making the Chiefs rookie running back, Pacheco, look like Derrick Henry. It seems like during this first half the Chiefs have turned into a running team (even though Mahomes has 3 passing TDs). What gives? Have a man on Travis Kelce at all times. Have a shadow/spy on Mahomes at all times. Defensive Coordinator, Mike Caldwell, please for the love of god don’t blitz anymore. Mahomes performs best when he is flushed out of the pocket and forced to ad lib. Plus you can’t cover the likes of Kelce, Toney and Smith-Schuster forever. Mahomes will find them. Drop into coverage and contain Mahomes. As a defense, Jacksonville cannot expect to stop the KC offense, you have to contain and slow them down. That said, whatever Swiss cheese type zone defense employed during the first half, did not work at all. Switch it up. Play some man coverage, play a combo of both, but constantly switch it up. Andy Reid is one hell of an offensive mind and Caldwell needs to step up his game. With all of this defensive talent on Jacksonville, at some point we need to question the DC and not the players. Is Caldwell in over his head? Hell of a job with the red zone takeaway Jenkins and Lloyd. And way to force some first half punts.
To the Offense: Catch the ball. Dropped passes have killed us. CK, my man, you have a lot of money in your bank account specifically to catch the passes that hit you in the hands (first drive). You redeemed yourself with that late half TD pass though. Also, the best defense against the Chiefs is an offense that can stay on the field with long, sustained drives. ETN needs the ball more, but with runs up the middle. The Chiefs seem to have the edge speed to contain an outside run. We need to establish our rush so Doug P. don’t abandon the run already, Coach. Trevor, go through your progressions, my dude, Zay Jones is open quite often. You hit him twice toward the final bell but he is open on a majority of the plays. What a phenomenal end of the half drive by Trevor and the Jags. WOW Christian Kirk with a HUGE TD catch (let’s just make sure that we hike the ball in time. I think we lucked out just a bit there). Offense, continue with the screens and short passes that worked in the second quarter, they are getting yardage and eating clock. I’d like to see ETN split our wide with Agnew out there as well. Five wide, and T-Law in the gun with the option to run it through an open hole, is a play that WILL work against this Chiefs defense. Employ it in the second half Doug. Let’s get the ball out of T-Laws hands quickly during this final 30 min. because…
To the Offensive Line: Boys, you are getting slaughtered out there. Lawrence has no time. Did KCs D-line suddenly become top five in the league? What gives Brandon “pro bowl” Scherff? You must give your QB some time and your RB some holes. Maybe Pederson goes for it on fourth and a foot if he has some trust in your ability to push that KC D-Line. Earn that trust in the second half. STEP. IT. UP.
To Jamal Agnew: You are the brightest star for the Jaguars this game. Hell of a job, my man. Your returns have been magical. Keep that up but let’s try to use your powers to convince Press Taylor to split you out wide and toast the KC DBs for some much needed offensive yardage.
To Riley Patterson: Pack your bags, sir. You cannot miss two very makable field goals (51 yards is certainly expected in today’s NFL) against the KC Chiefs and expect to have a job. This should be a 7 point game at the half. Pederson will think twice and a third time before putting you back on the field for even an extra point.
Employ these adjustments in the second half and we just might see a dub.