QB Trevor Lawrence helps Jaguars win thriller over Chiefs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars won a thriller over the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-28at EverBank Stadium on Monday night.

Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence had an efficient night, going 18-for-25 for 221 yards with three scores (one passing and two rushing).

Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 318 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also led the rushing attack with 60 yards and one score on the ground.

Here are the most important things to know from Monday night for both teams:

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Travis Hunter jukes his way down sideline for impressive catch

Travis Hunter celebrates with teammates after fooling Chiefs defenders on his way down the sideline.

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1)

The Jaguars’ last-second victory over the Chiefs snapped an eight-game losing streak in the series (including playoffs).

It also sent a message to the rest of the AFC: The Jaguars sure look like legitimate contenders.

Jacksonville got another turnover and big play from its defense — Devin Lloyd‘s 99-yard interception return for a TD — and Lawrence scored on a stumbling 1-yard TD run with 23 seconds to play to beat Kansas City for the first time since 2009.

At 4-1, the Jaguars and rookie coach Liam Coen are tied with the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts for the best record in the AFC one season after finishing 4-13.

What to make of the QB performance: The pass game and offense were struggling early, so Trevor Lawrence got things jump-started with his legs. On the Jaguars’ first TD drive, Lawrence had runs of 16 and 14 yards — the 14-yarder converted a third down — and finished the drive with a 3-yard pass to WR Parker Washington. Lawrence didn’t run the ball on the Jaguars’ second TD drive until the final play, when he took it 10 yards for a score. Lawrence hadn’t run the ball much in the first three weeks of the season but ran it seven times for 7 yards in Week 4 against San Francisco. He converted another third down with his legs in the fourth quarter and scored again late to finish with 54 yards on 10 carries. Lawrence’s interception in the fourth quarter came on a play that appeared to be a missed pass interference penalty against the Chiefs.

Biggest hole in the game plan: WR/CB Travis Hunter clearly needs to be more involved in the offense. The rookie touched the ball three times for 64 yards, which included a 44-yard catch. That came on a scramble by Lawrence, and Hunter outjumped two Chiefs defensive backs for the ball, grabbed it and held on to it when he hit the ground hard. That set up the Jaguars’ game-tying touchdown in the third quarter. Hunter has made impact plays in each of the past two games — he had a 28-yard catch on third down against San Francisco that jump-started a TD drive — and Jacksonville must get him more involved offensively.

Stat to know: Lloyd’s 99-yard interception return, which put the Jaguars ahead 21-14 in the third quarter, was the longest defensive touchdown in Jaguars history, surpassing the two 90-yard TDs scored by Aaron Beasley (fumble return in 1998 and pick-six in 1999). That was Lloyd’s fourth touchdown in his past four games. – Michael Dirocco

Next game: vs. Seattle Seahawks (1 PM Et, Oct. 12)

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Mahomes calls his own number for Chiefs TD

Patrick Mahomes cruises to the end zone early in the second quarter as the Chiefs go up by two possessions.

Kansas City Chiefs (2-3)

Very few possibilities in the NFL feel almost like a certainty, for both the players and the fans watching. One of those scenarios is when Mahomes is given the ball late in the fourth quarter with a chance to lead his teammates to a game-winning drive.

With eight minutes left, and the Chiefs trailing the Jaguars by three points, Mahomes did what he almost always does: engineer a methodical, clinical touchdown drive.

But this time, he was outdueled by Lawrence, who made impressive pass after impressive pass in the final two minutes to lead his team to the winning score. Even when Lawrence stumbled under center, with the Jaguars at the 1-yard line, he was still able to get up and dive in for the TD.

Turning point: With the game tied in the third quarter, the Chiefs expected Jacksonville’s defense to blitz with the ball on its 3-yard line. The Jaguars, however, bluffed, and Mahomes’ first true interception this season created a 14-point swing, a pick-six from Kansas City native Lloyd. It was Lloyd who faked as if he was going to blitz before dropping into zone coverage, right in front of receiver JuJu Smith-Schusterthe intended target for Mahomes. Lloyd’s highlight swung the Jaguars’ win probability by 42%, from 28% to 70%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

What to make of QB’s performance: For much of Monday night, Mahomes’ performance was a vintage one. He counterattacked the Jaguars’ blitzes and completed a pass to eight teammates. The lone issue, which complicated the second half for the Chiefs, was Mahomes’ one poor decision on the pick-six, his first true turnover of the season (Travis Kelce‘s drop against the Eagles was the reason for that game’s only turnover). But Mahomes stayed calm, didn’t make another mistake and calmly delivered the plays necessary for the Chiefs to have a chance to escape EverBank Stadium with a victory.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Steve Spagnuolo is the NFL’s most decorated defensive coordinator, but he didn’t blitz Lawrence enough in the first half, which allowed the Jaguars to stay around for their comeback victory. Spagnuolo also never put a spy defender on Lawrence, who did just enough with his legs to make the Chiefs defense pay. Lawrence, who is not known for his speed or scrambling ability, led the Jaguars with 54 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. — Nate Taylor

Next game: vs. Detroit Lions (8:20 PM ET, Oct. 12)