4 winners and 4 losers from Chiefs’ loss to Jaguars: Kansas City self-destructs despite several good individual performances
No team can win many games playing like the Chiefs did on Monday.
Despite getting off to a quick 14-0 lead, the Kansas City Chiefs lost a heartbreaker to the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-28 on Monday night.
It appeared that the Chiefs were heading toward another big victory like they had over the Baltimore Ravens last week, but when the Jaguars fought back, Kansas City began to self-destruct. Let’s jump into both the good and the bad from this matchup.
Winner: Chiefs’ rushing attack
For the second week in a row, the Chiefs had a solid day on the ground, rushing for a season-high 158 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those were from running back Kareem Hunt, who also had an impressive 33-yard run.
His counterpart Isiah Pacheco racked up 56 total yards on 10 touches, including a rush of 16 yards. Rookie Brashard Smith also contributed with 36 yards on four touches. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes got back to his running ways after getting away from it for a couple of weeks, recording 60 yards and a touchdown.
Loser: Patrick Mahomes
This was a tough one because Mahomes played very well outside of one mistake. In addition to his rushing efforts, he also putt up a season-high 318 passing yards and one passing TD. Unfortunately, the mistake he made was an absolute game-changer.
As K.C. was threatening to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, Mahomes threw a devasting pick-six to linebacker Devin Lloyd, which Lloyd returned 99 yards. If that doesn’t happen, it’s an entirely different ballgame, and quite possibly a different outcome.
Winner: CB Trent McDuffie
McDuffie locked down Jaguars wide receivers all night. He finished the game with three total tackles, three passes defensed, and one interception.
His interception was crucial, leading to the Chiefs tying up the game just two plays later. McDuffie continues to prove that whether he plays on the outside or in the slot, he’s one of the best cornerbacks in the game.
Loser: Chiefs’ coaching staff
K.C. was undisciplined in all three phases of the game in its loss to Jacksonville. The Chiefs committed a total of 13 penalties — five on offense, four defensively, and four on special teams — for a total of 109 yards.
When it’s that spread out, it ultimately lays at the blameof the coaching staff. Coach Andy Reid and his coordinators have to regroup after that performance, or this season could quickly get away from them.
Winner: WR Tyquan Thornton
Thornton continues to be the Chiefs’ most consistent big-play threat. He struck yet again on Monday night, catching a 32-yard pass from Mahomes as he adjusted back to the ball being underthrown. That occurred on a critical third down play, and ultimately led to a TD.
Later in the second quarter, Thornton caught a 34-yard pass, which led to a TD on the next play. He finished the game with a team-high 90 receiving yards, and leads K.C. in that department with 272 on the season.
Loser: DT Chris Jones
It was a rough night for Jones as he recorded just one tackle on the night. He certainly faces a lot of double-teams due to the lack of talent around him, but he struggled to make any real impact at all against Jacksonville.
As the Jaguars were looking to take the lead late in the game, Jones didn’t appear to give the greatest effort when QB Trevor Lawrence run the ball into the endzone for a TD despite falling down first. Jones owned up to that after the game, but that doesn’t account for much after the fact.
Winner: LB Nick Bolton
Bolton was very productive against the Jaguars, recording 12 total tackles, one pass defensed, and one forced fumble. The latter came just in the nick of time, as he knocked the ball out of Lawrence’s hands just before it crossed the goal line for a TD.
Bolton also came very close to snagging an interception had his fellow linebacker Drue Tranquill not accidently ran into him. Bolton is well on is way to another 100+ tackle season and is an irreplaceable member of the Chiefs’ defense.
Loser: K Harrison Butker
It has been a season to forget so far for Butker, missing three field attempts and two extra point attempts in 2025. He almost made it out of Jacksonville unscathed as he did not have to attempt a field goal and he made all four of his extra point attempts.
However, following a late TD which gave the Chiefs the lead, Butker proceeded to kick the ball out of bounds. That set the Jaguars’ offense up with great field position at its own 40-yard line, which culminated into the game-winning TD for Jacksonville. Once an automatic weapon for K.C., Butker has become a liability.
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