Teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars don't get many opportunities to play for a national audience. When they do, they need to make the most of it.
The Jags are three-point underdogs to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Facing off with the defending conference champions after an encouraging start to the season, this will be the biggest game of head coach Liam Coen's short time in Jacksonville.
While many fans and experts are expecting a routine win for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, the Jaguars could be in the perfect position to flip the script and pull off a statement victory. Defensive superstar Josh Hines-Allen could be the centerpiece of the upset.
Related:Maybe the Jaguars were holding Mac Jones back (and not the other way around)
Josh Hines-Allen the key to Jaguars potential upset over Chiefs
If you've been tuning into the NFL over the last two or three years, the Chiefs that you know are dedicated to slowly moving the ball down the field, taking whatever the defense gives them. This season, they've changed their tune. Mahomes is throwing more deep balls than he has in recent years, finding speedy receivers like Tyquan Thornton and Xavier Worthy for chunk gains. With a rushing attack too inconsistent to rely on, the Chiefs are looking for explosive passes more and more.
They'll no doubt look for more of the same on Monday, especially if the Jaguars can get an early lead. But if Mahomes doesn't have time to let deep routes develop, the threat will be limited. Hines-Allen and the rest of Jacksonville's pass rush will be the key to shutting down explosive plays through the air.
The superstar edge rusher is off to a relatively slow start to the season, logging just half a sack through four games. But he could have a big day against rookie Josh Simmons and veteran Jawaan Taylor when you take into account that he excels at generating pressure. Against the Chiefs, Hines-Allen beat Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams several times.
Not a great day for 49ers LT Trent Williams against the #Jaguars. Josh Hines-Allen got multiple pressures, and here is Dawuane Smoot beating him in the run game pic.twitter.com/kbjK19wbiG
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) September 29, 2025
Kansas City's pass protection has been decent so far, allowing seven total sacks, but they've shown that they can be beaten by elite edge threats.
Jacksonville's secondary is banged up going into this matchup, so they'll need the pass rush to force Mahomes to get the ball out quickly. Just one or two explosive passes could decide the game.
This could be Hines-Allen's opportunity to re-establish himself as one of the top edge defenders in the NFL. If he takes on a primary role in leading the Jaguars to a dominant upset in prime time, he might finally earn the recognition that he deserves.