The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the win column to begin the preseason, taking down the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, 26-13.
Both teams decided to play their starters to begin this game. The Chiefs put Patrick Mahomes and the first-team offense out there for a single series and largely looked like the defending back-to-back Super Bowl champions. They brought the ball just outside the red zone on the opening drive to set up a Harrison Butker field goal. Meanwhile, the Jaguars kept Trevor Lawrence and the top offense out there for the first two series. The first was sparked by a 74-yard kickoff return by Patrick Washington, which began a touchdown drive culminated by a Lawrence pass to Travis Etienne.
Once the starters concluded their business for the night, Chiefs undrafted rookie running back Carson Steele stole the show. First, he had a bruising 20-yard rush where he broke a handful of tackles. Then, he scored a goal-line touchdown just before halftime. It wasn't all rosy for Kansas City in the first half, however, as its struggles with the new kickoff rule resulted in a self-imposed safety from Mecole Hardman. As for which rookies stood out for the Jaguars in the first half, Brian Thomas Jr. -- a first-round pick out of LSU -- hauled in a tremendous 41-yard reception to move the chains on third down.
As one may expect in a preseason exhibition, the second half was a bit more muted than what we saw in the first. Former Patriots first-rounder Mac Jones led the Jaguars on a field goal drive to get the scoring started and finished his night completing 9 of his 11 pass attempts for 98 yards. On the K.C. side, the offense led by quarterback Chris Oladokun and Ian Book managed three points over the final two quarters.
Below, you can find out takeaways from Saturday's contest, including our rookie report and top play.
Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr.: Jacksonville used its first-round pick to heighten the ceiling of its receiver room, and it appears it did just that. In the first half, Brian Thomas Jr. flashed his big-play potential by hauling in a 41-yard reception from C.J. Beathard to move the chains on third-and-1. That catch helped set up a Jaguars field goal.
That was Thomas' lone catch of the night on two targets.
Chiefs RB Carson Steele: Kansas City signed Steele as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA and he is quickly pushing for a roster spot. In the opener, Steele initially endeared himself with a 20-yard run where he broke several tackles as he churned upfield.
Later in the drive, Steele was given the ball on the goal line and barreled in for the touchdown to knot the game at 10. Steele carried the ball four times for 29 yards and a touchdown. Not too shabby for your first taste of NFL action.
Chiefs TE Jared Wiley: The 2024 fourth-round pick saw some action in the first half and was able to bring in both of his targets. However, the TCU product did fumble after one of those receptions and nearly caused a turnover. Putting the ball on the ground -- even if he didn't give the ball to the opposition -- isn't the greatest first impression.
Jaguars RB Tank Bigsby: The second-year running back saw limited work in the first half, but from what we saw he continues to be a force out of the backfield. Bigsby ran hard on each of his three carries, including a 19-yard gain. He finished the night with 28 yards on the ground.
Jaguars WR Devin Duvernay: Duvernay made his mark on special teams during his tenure for the Ravens, but also seemed to be a timely outlet in the passing game. That showed in his debut with the Jaguars, catching a 35-yard touchdown right before halftime.
The 26-year-old signed a two-year deal with the Jaguars in free agency and could prove to be a sneaky strong addition once the regular season rolls around.
Chiefs WR Justyn Ross: It feels like every year folks are waiting for Justyn Ross to leap onto the map. The Clemson product oozes talent, but injuries and off-the-field issues have drastically stalled his career. What may keep the Chiefs interested in Ross, however, is plays like he made Saturday, hauling in a toe-tapping reception in the second half.
While you can take most of what happens in a preseason game with a grain of salt, Kansas City's issues on special teams -- specifically revolving around the new kickoff rule -- are some cause for concern. Out of the gate, they allowed a 74-yard kickoff return by Parker Washington (more on that below), which kicked off their struggles.
On their second kickoff return of the night, a 31-yard gain was called back 10 yards due to an offensive holding penalty. The most egregious moment, however, came just before halftime. After the ball bounced out of the end zone and onto the one-yard line, Mecole Hardman went back into the end zone and downed the ball which resulted in a safety.
This is something Andy Reid and special teams coordinator David Toub will need to tighten before the regular season.
The first major kickoff return that we've seen came in this exhibition thanks to Parker Washington, who was one of the most electric players on the field in this game. The 2023 sixth-round pick took a kickoff following an opening drive field goal by the Chiefs 74 yards down the field. That return put Jacksonville instantly in the red zone, and it took just four plays for Trevor Lawrence to find Travis Etienne for a nine-yard passing touchdown. On top of that return, Washington also caught a pass for 10 yards and returned a punt for 13 yards.
From here, the Jaguars will remain in Jacksonville and await the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who come to town for Week 2 of the preseason next Saturday. As for the Chiefs, they'll head to Arrowhead Stadium for their first exhibition in K.C. this summer as they take on the Detroit Lions.
And that'll do it. The Jaguars got the preseason win and saw some encouraging moments from Brian Thomas Jr. and some other receivers. As for the Chiefs, Carson Steele is going to be a popular man in Kansas City over the next couple of days (possibly more).
Jones had Deguara in the back right corner of the end zone, but his throw is juuuuust a bit too far in front of him. Instead of a touchdown, the Jaguars settle for another field goal to go up 26-13.
Unfortunate update on the undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma.
Tremendous ball by Mac Jones for the 28-yard gain to Deguara. He dropped it right where his receiver could get it and moves the chains on third-and-6.
Chiefs rookie offensive lineman McKade Mettauer was looked at on the field by trainers and then walked off to the medical table on the sideline. The Oklahoma product is an undrafted free agent.
Well, the Chiefs ran a play so that fantastic effort is erased from history.
Oh man! The officials ruled that Remigio was down by contact. If I were Doug Pederson, I might review this.
What a play from Christian Braswell!! The Jaguars cornerback just ripped the ball out of Chiefs receiver Nikko Remigio's hands and took it to the house for a touchdown.
Former Patriots first-rounder Mac Jones is in at quarterback for the Jaguars to begin the second half.
One of the big-picture takeaways from that first half is that the Chiefs clearly need to work on the new kickoff. A lot of struggles in multiple areas.
Devin Duvernay made a number of plays throughout his tenure with the Ravens and just had a remarkable TD reception to put the Jaguars up just before the half. Could be a sneaky solid find for them this offseason.
Carson Steele might be the story coming out of this preseason opener. He barreled in for a goal-line score to help knot the game at 10 apiece.
It wasn't the best ball by Oladokun, but the receiver should've been running on the goal line instead of a year in front.
Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller needed some attention on the field, but he was able to walk off.
Chiefs rookie fullback Carson Steele just powered his way to a 20-yard gain. Could be a fun addition if he makes the roster.
Yikes. A botched snap flies over Carson Wentz's head and it results in a massive 20-yard loss for Kansas City.
Here's that fantastic catch by Thomas.
Welcome to the NFL, Brian Thomas Jr.! The first-round wideout out of LSU just hauled in a 41-yard reception on third-and-1. The Jaguars are hoping he can be a dynamic replacement for Calvin Ridley.
Trevor Lawrence's night is done as the Jaguars put C.J. Beathard under center.
Patrick Mahomes' night is done. Carson Wentz is in at quarterback.
The Chiefs are struggling with this new kickoff rule early on. They allowed the Parker Washington return and then just committed a holding penalty on a return.
Four plays after that massive return by Washington, Trevor Lawrence finds Travis Etienne for a 9-yard touchdown to put the Jags up, 7-3.
The Chiefs say that WR Hollywood Brown is questionable to return with a shoulder injury. Brown had an 11-yard catch on the opening drive. Even if the injury is no big deal, I'd expect Andy Reid will keep him on the shelf for the rest of the night.
And we have our first massive return with the new kickoff rules. Parker Washington brings it back for 73 yards to put Jacksonville already in the red zone.
Harrison Butker -- who just became the NFL's highest-paid kicker -- netted a 45-yarder on the opening drive of the game.
