Chiefs’ penalty woes continue in loss to Jaguars, their third straight one-score defeat

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs won 11 one-score games last season, a big reason why they wound up in the Super Bowl for a third straight year.

They have lost all three of their one-score games this season.

The margin between winning and losing in the NFL is small, as Chiefs coach Andy Reid so often says, and the difference often comes down to the smallest of things — like penalties. That was evident on Monday night in Jacksonville, where the Chiefs were flagged so often that linebacker Drue Tranquill said he felt as if there was yellow laundry on the field on every play.

He wasn’t far off. The Chiefs were penalized 13 times for 109 yards in the 31-28 loss.

“Whether I agree with them or don’t agree with them doesn’t matter. They called them,” Reid said. “You have that many penalties, you give up field position, you can out-stat them to death, but it doesn’t matter. It’s the score that matters.”

By contrast, the Jaguars were penalized four times for 25 yards. The only other time in the last four seasons in which a team was penalized at least nine times for 84 more yards than their opponent? The Chiefs when they played Jacksonville in 2023.

Two penalties wiped out long returns on special teams. Another came after Harrison Butker inexplicably kicked out of bounds after the Chiefs had driven 86 yards for the go-ahead TD with 1:45 to go. And another on Chamarri Conner that wiped out a pick by Bryan Cook in the end zone, and instead set up Jacksonville for the eventual winning touchdown.

In fact, the Chiefs were flagged for defensive holding on that play, too, when Trevor Lawrence was tripped to the ground by his own lineman, scrambled to his feet, evaded the defense and scored with 23 seconds left; the Jaguars declined the penalty.

“We’ve executed at certain points in the game and looked really good and then we kind of crush ourselves with penalties and mistakes and interceptions and fumbles or whatever that is,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “It’s just — we’ve kind of done that to ourselves all year long. It’s been one guy here or there and in this league.”

Yes, the 99-yard pick-6 that Mahomes threw during the game was devastating. So was the Chiefs’ inability to prevent Lawrence from scrambling for big yardage. But the Chiefs nevertheless had a chance to win with less than two minutes to go.

Instead, a team that went 17-0 in games decided by eight points or fewer from Week 17 of the 2023 season through the end of last season lost its third such game in a row this season. And now, the Chiefs are toting a 2-3 record into another tough matchup with the Detroit Lions on Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

“We got to do better,” Mahomes said simply. “We’ve lost too many games already. We got to find a way to be better.”

What’s working

The Chiefs’ offense has found its rhythm since Xavier Worthy’s return from a shoulder injury two weeks ago. Mahomes threw for 318 yards against the Jaguars, and Kansas City piled up 158 yards on the ground.

What needs help

Effort. Whether it was offensive players giving up on Jacksonville linebacker Devin Lloyd’s pick-6 or defensive tackle Chris Jones standing around — essentially taking the play off — when Lawrence scored the decisive touchdown, the Chiefs displayed a startling lack of effort on far too many plays Monday night.

Stock up

WR Tyquan Thornton continues to make big plays, catching three passes for 90 yards against the Jaguars. And he was one of the few Chiefs players who gave everything trying to chase down Lloyd and prevent his 99-yard touchdown return.

Stock down

Special teams coordinator Dave Toub. His group has made far too many mistakes this season, from missed field goals and PATs to costly penalties, perhaps none bigger than Butker’s kick out of bounds in the final minutes against Jacksonville.

Injuries

LT Josh Simmons was sick before the game but played the entire way.

Key numbers

62-4 — That had been the Chiefs’ record with Mahomes at QB when leading by at least 14 points before Monday night. Reid has now lost 18 such games, the most by any coach in NFL history.

What’s next

The Chiefs try to stop the Lions from winning their fifth straight game when they meet Sunday night.

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