The Chiefs dropped to 2-3 after Monday. This is their first time with a losing record under Patrick Mahomes since 2021. Meanwhile, the Jaguars climbed to 4-1 after the 31-28 win, riding on quarterback Trevor Lawrence‘s three-touchdown night. The Chiefs rolled into Duval for a must-win showdown against the Jags.

For the Chiefs it was about closing the gap in the AFC West wing. For the Jags, it was more about proving they are a real deal. And they managed to dismiss the ongoing talk in the league that KC “get all the calls”.

After Monday’s defeat, that narrative took a serious hit for the Chiefs. They were hit by a jaw-dropping 13 penalties for 103 yards. This compelled the Chiefs’ players and coaches to raise an alarm for the team. “You know, we had tight coverage. A few penalties hurt us. But yeah, just didn’t make the place when we needed to.”

Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie said when asked what went wrong. “Clear the penalties, start there and just get back to work.” 

Despite a controversial missed pass interference on safety Jaden Hicks that led to a Trent McDuffie interception and the latter’s fourth-quarter interception of Lawrence, the Chiefs hit rock bottom in penalties. They are leading the NFL in road penalties (31) and sit among the top five teams in both total flags and penalty yardage.

The mistakes piled up early Monday. Cornerback Jaylen Watson‘s pass interference turned things, what should’ve been a third down into a Jaguars touchdown. Later, Watson was flagged for illegal contact.

To make things worse, a holding call on linebacker Jack Cochrane wiped out rookie running back Brashard Smith‘s electric 63-yard return that could’ve set the Chiefs up at the Jaguars’ 38-yard line. Instead, they started back at their own 20. The Chiefs have a lot of cleaning to do before entering week 6 against the 4-1 Detroit Lions with a top-tier roster waiting for them.

Not just the penalties

If you think the penalties and setbacks were done here, you are highly mistaken. The crushing blows came in the second half. Chamarri Conner‘s pass interference wiped out what would’ve been Bryan Cook‘s game-sealing interception in the end zone.

And one play later, Trevor Lawrence, stumbling, punched in the game-winning touchdown. That drive? It started after Harrison Butker kicked the ball out of bounds, giving Jacksonville a short field at their own 40.

In the third quarter, with the Chiefs looking to go up 21-14, a disaster struck. Linebacker Devin Lloyd read Mahomes perfectly and jumped in the pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster. He took it 99 yards the other way for his league’s leading fifth takeaway of the season. “They showed blitz, Pat didn’t see him, and it ended up an interception,” HC Andy Reid said.

He got a key block from Josh Hines Allen and held on tight as Tyquan Thorton tried to punch the ball out near the 5-yard line. But it was too late and the play went down as the longest interception return by a linebacker in NFL regular season history.

“It was a great call by them defensively, and obviously a great play by him getting the pick,” Mahomes said. “I’ve got to find a way to tackle him or slow him down after the interception.”

Still, there was a glimpse of hope for the Chiefsdom. Mahomes and the Chiefs got another shot, but the chaos did not stop. Jack Coachrane‘s holding penalty wiped out a 34-yard kickoff return, and a delay of the game followed it. This is something the Chiefs had to work on, the basics. One self-inflicted wound after another sabotaged Kansas City’s performance.