Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 3 Things to Watch

What will we keep an eye on when the Jaguars and Chiefs meet on Saturday?

Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen gives instructions to Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris (95) and defensive end Tyler Lacy (93) during the fourth day of the NFL football training camp practice session Saturday, July 27, 2024 at EverBank Stadium's Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] / Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

With the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting the Kansas City Chiefs in tonight's preseason opener at EverBank Stadium, there are plenty of storylines to monitor and players to track.

Yesterday, we looked at which players we will closely keep an eye out for in tonight's preseason action. Now, we will look at the big picture and break down three aspects of the 2024 squad that we will track.

With that said, here is what we will be watching on Saturday night.

Ryan Nielsen's defense

While we won't get the entire picture of what Ryan Nielsen's defense is going to look like, we will at least see the Jaguars implement their base fronts, coverages and overall philosophies against the Chiefs. That means for the first time we will see the Jaguars' defensive roster in their new roles, plus the first time we can see how Nielsen's secondary will attack opposing receivers.

"Yeah, it’s really good to practice against that. Not everyone plays that way, there’s different philosophies on defense. When you go against our defense that does play that way, it’s very physical on the outside, there’s no air, there’s no cushion for the most part," Trevor Lawrence said on Thursday. "Obviously, they adjust, and they have different looks, but timing has to be perfect, landmarks have to be perfect, communication between myself and the receivers or tight ends or whoever, is critical because the windows are way smaller because they’re getting matched on different things, or usually you’re expecting this play versus soft-coverage where you have some space to run—different things."

The Jaguars' new-look defense will be a stark contrast from Mike Caldwell's 3-4 defense, which emphasized getting big bodies on the field and off coverage in the back end. We won't see Nielsen throw the kitchen sink at Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz tonight, but we will get our biggest look yet at what that side of the ball is set to look like.

Will the 2023 class take a leap?

The Jaguars will have a lot riding on their 2023 draft class this season. The Jaguars know what they have in ascending right tackle Anton Harrison, who won't play due to the concussion protocol. But there are several other second-year players the Jaguars will be relying on this year, and Saturday will be the first major sign of whether they are ready.

Brenton Strange and Tank Bigsby won't start on offense, but both are expected to be bigger pieces of the offense than they were last year. Each has to earn the trust of the coaching staff, though, and that starts tonight. Tyler Lacy and Ventrell Miller could be top backup options on defense and each could be called upon at any point to start in the event of injuries. Cooper Hodges and Christian Braswell are the top backups at right guard and nickel corner, and each needs to make the most of their reps this preseason after dealing with injuries as rookies.

The two second-year players who might play the biggest roles are wide receiver Parker Washington and defensive back Antonio Johnson. Washington could be the Jaguars' top backup receiver, and the preseason could show if he has true inside/outside versatility. Johnson is a starting safety and could use some momentum after a relatively quiet training camp so far.

Unraveling the kickoff

The biggest preseason storyline in the entire league is the implementation of the NFL's new kickoff rules, with this week serving as the first chance for teams to see what the rule looks like and what tweaks they need to make to their schemes. And while the Jaguars are unlikely to throw out a ton of creative looks on special teams before Week 1, this will at least give us a chance to see how the Jaguars will operate.

"Well, we're going to put it down on the tee and kick it into the box and see what happens. But I think this is going to be obviously a big weekend. There's going to be a lot of tape after this weekend to dive through," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Thursday.

"I still don't think a lot of teams are going to show what they're going to do schematically. Even some teams don't even put their starting returners back there in preseason for risk of injury and stuff like that. But it’ll give you an idea of maybe how to prepare, how to plan and what to look forward to.”

---

• Follow and like us on Facebook.
• Submit your questions for our mailbag.
• Subscribe to the Jaguars On SI Podcast on Apple and Spotify.
• Check out the Jaguars On SI YouTube Channel.