The Kansas City Chiefs (14-3) are set to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars (10-8) at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in AFC divisional round.
The Chiefs have hosted the last four AFC Championship Games in Kansas City, but it wasn’t long ago (2017) that the Jacksonville Jaguars were appearing in the AFC title game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Which team has the players that can put up the performances needed to advance to this season’s conference championship game?
Here’s a look at four players for the Chiefs who we’ll be paying close attention to when they square off with the Jaguars on Saturday:
TE Travis Kelce
Kelce started off the 2022 NFL season hot and while his yardage hasn’t dwindled, his touchdown production has slowed in recent weeks. He hasn’t scored a touchdown in the past six games, but that could change in the AFC divisional round. The Jaguars finished the season as one of the worst defenses in the league when it comes to covering tight ends. They allowed 13.1 yards per reception, the second-highest mark in the league on 81 receptions for 1,066 yards. They also allowed seven receiving touchdowns. Even knowing that the Jags will game plan to take him away, this has the makings of a big performance for Kelce.
CB Trent McDuffie
Back in Week 10 against the Jaguars, McDuffie was appearing in just his second game since returning from injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Not only is he more comfortable in his role now, but McDuffie’s role on the team has evolved. According to PFF, McDuffie played 55 of his 63 snaps in Week 10 aligned at right cornerback. In each of the past three weeks, McDuffie has played the majority of his snaps at slot cornerback. That means, in the AFC divisional round, he’s going to be matched up with Christian Kirk more frequently instead of lining up against Zay Jones.
RB Jerick McKinnon
McKinnon hadn’t really broken out yet when the team faced the Jaguars back in Week 10, but he did have a productive day in the passing game. He caught six passes on eight targets for 56 yards, which was a season-high to that point. This week, he could be even more effective for Kansas City. The Jaguars have allowed the second-most receiving yards to RBs in 2022, with an average of 46 yards per game. McKinnon has averaged 66.3 receiving yards per game for the Chiefs over the past five weeks.
DE Frank Clark
Clark missed the Week 10 matchup with Jacksonville due to suspension. The team managed five sacks of Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, but that doesn’t mean Clark wasn’t missed. He’s coming off a minor groin strain suffered in Week 18, but he is expected to play and be just fine doing so. Clark’s 11 career sacks in the postseason are the fifth most in NFL history and he needs just two more to have the third-most all-time. Every game from here on out could be Clark’s last in a Chiefs uniform because of his $31 million cap hit in 2023, so expect him to play in these games with that in mind.
