It wasn't pretty, but the Chiefs got it done in Week 2 against the Jaguars in a rematch of the divisional round of last year's playoffs. In the 17-9 victory, the Chiefs recorded yet another sub-20 point game that may start to make their fans squirm a bit: What happened to the well-oiled dominant offensive machine that blazed its way into the Super Bowl in 2022?
Despite a relatively meek offensive outing, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid had mostly complimentary things to say about his team's performance on Sunday, which included the 2023 season debuts of Travis Kelce and Chris Jones.
Other storylines also continued getting written this week, like Kadarius Toney's redemption arc and Jawaan Taylor's tendency to pick up penalties.
Here's everything Andy Reid said after the Chiefs' win against the Jags.
Andy Reid on Chiefs' Jawaan Taylor
Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor constantly toed the line in Week 1, both literally and figuratively. Heading into the matchup against the Jags, many wondered if Taylor would be able to fix his gaffes and miscues and play up to par with the rest of the Chiefs' offensive line.
Taylor's second outing didn't go much better than his first. In Week 2, Taylor was called for five penalties in total: two false starts, one illegal formation, and back-to-back holds. It was after his second holding penalty in the third quarter that Reid benched him for a little while.
Reid said after the game that "offensively, we got to take care of the penalties and turnovers ... We'll get the other stuff fixed as we go."
On Taylor specifically, Reid told reporters he wanted Taylor to take a "step back" and presumably clear his head at the time of the benching. Taylor, who was playing against his former team, had become the undesirable lightning rod of controversy at the start of the 2023 season, and it seems like Reid wanted to make a point to the right tackle about being in the right mindset.
Reid said, "This is home -- and not only home, but it's also where he [Taylor] played. Just step back, and let's get you back out there. He had some big blocks down later in the game there. He did a nice job finishing."
Andy Reid on Kadarius Toney and Chiefs' WR corps
Speaking of players who messed up big-time in Week 1, wideout Kadarius Toney entered Week 2 with the fury of his haters trailing right behind him. Toney finished with five catches for 35 yards and a long of 17, a much more respectable stat line compared to his performance against the Lions.
After the game, Reid said Toney was suffering from a minor left foot issue but should be fine.
Reid also said that one of the team's sneaky effective receivers, Justin Watson, was dehydrated during the game and had to receive an IV.
Andy Reid on Chris Jones, Chiefs' defense
Perhaps the most optimistic news of the afternoon: Chris Jones is back. He's not only back on the field, he's back to his DPOY-caliber ways. Jones recorded 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hits, a tackle for loss, and a pass break-up in a game in which the Chiefs defense as a whole balled out.
Jags' Trevor Lawrence hit the ground four times, failed to throw a single touchdown, and got held to 271 yards of total offense.
Jones made big plays at opportune times throughout the game: his sack forced a turnover on downs in the second quarter, and his pass deflection came on a Jags' third-and-14 and forced a punt in the third.
Reid said of Jones' return, "Defensively great to have Chris Jones back. He obviously influenced the game in a positive way for us."
Per Reid, the Chiefs were only planning to play Jones for about half a game. Jones clearly kept himself in shape this offseason despite holding out of camp, and Reid said he felt "comfortable" giving Jones plenty of snaps in Week 2 and was pleasantly surprised at Jones' level of play.
Reid added a note of praise to the rest of the defense and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
"[Trent] McDuffie nice [job]. I mean, I can go on there.... the guys on defense just battled. Spags had a phenomenal game plan. His coaches did a great job there."
