Kansas City Chiefs vs Jacksonville Jaguars Prediction: We expect excellent plays from the two teams

On Sunday, the NFL's Divisional Round will begin at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars for a chance to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the fifth consecutive season. After a bye week, Kansas City Chiefs will take on the surging Jaguars, who are riding high after their thrilling comeback win in the Wild Card Round, 31-30 over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Kansas City Chiefs - clear favorite to win

The 2022–23 version of this team's offense is more potent than in previous years. They led the league in points per game and total yards per game, and they passed for more yards per game than any other team. What's more, they tend to make the most of their drives, finishing the regular season with the second-best red zone offense and third-down conversion rate. The pass rush was the lifeblood of their defense during the regular season, and it was largely responsible for keeping their defensive unit off the field, finishing with the second-most sacks as a team in 2022. However, they exposed their weaknesses when they were unable to get to the quarterback in time, allowing the most passing touchdowns, 33, and a passing rating of 95.3 in the NFL this season. Running the ball and wearing down the Chiefs' defense to wear them down has been effective in the past, but this season it has been more difficult because Kansas City has allowed fewer than five yards per carry to running backs.

Jacksonville Jaguars - underdogs Jaguars will play well

The third-largest comeback in NFL playoff history was completed by the Jaguars last Saturday, capping off a crazy Wild Card weekend in Duval County. Everything that could have gone wrong for this inexperienced team in the opening half did last week as they gave the ball over five times and could not generate one themselves. However, veteran head coach Doug Pederson persisted with the game plan in the second half, and it paid off as Jacksonville capitalized on an undisciplined Chargers team and drove down the field for the game-winning field goal after a brave two-point conversion went their way. The Jaguars were ranked fifth in the league in fewest sacks allowed during the regular season, and their offensive line has been superb for the most part of the year. The Jaguars' pressure rating against the Rams was just 18.4 percent. Last Saturday, after only managing 19 yards of running against the Tennessee Titans two weeks prior, the ground game was back on track, resulting in 117 total yards and a win. Jacksonville has allowed a third-worst 119.3 rating to tight ends this regular season despite having a top-five passing offense.

Expert Betting Tips

The Jaguars' performance from the previous week was nothing short of spectacular; yet, playing an experienced Chiefs club that features an offense that is as dynamic and dangerous as any other in the league may be too much for this resilient Jacksonville team to handle.