Jaguars struggle on offense yet again in loss to Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Nick Foles did exactly what the Kansas City Chiefs needed him to do against Jacksonville.
Namely, he didn't make any major mistakes.
Filling in for quarterback Alex Smith, who was out with a head injury, Foles threw for 187 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions on Sunday. That modest performance was all the stout Chiefs defense needed to hold on for a 19-14 victory , their fourth consecutive win.
"We got the win," Foles said, "and there are things we can clean up and be even better for it all-around, and that's the exciting part about the game. It's better when you win and can improve."
The Chiefs (6-2) wound up playing without five starters on offense.
Along with Smith , running back Spencer Ware was inactive with a knee injury and offensive guard Parker Ehinger is out for the year with a knee injury. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin left in the first quarter with a groin injury and did not return, and tight end Travis Kelce was ejected in the fourth quarter.
Not that it mattered. The guys on defense were up to the task.
They held Blake Bortles to 22-of-41 passing for 252 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, one of four turnovers by the Jaguars (2-6) on the afternoon. And they made the play of the game when they held on fourth down deep in their territory with less than 2 minutes left in the game.
"They're one out of 14 on third down. We had 205 yards rushing and five penalties. It comes down to turnovers," Jaguars coach Gus Bradley. "We didn't get them."
Here are some of the takeaways from the Chiefs' 10th consecutive home win:
BORTLES'S BLUNDER
The interception Bortles threw was followed by another embarrassing mistake: a chop block. Rule changes this year made chop blocks illegal across the board, and Bortles was hit with a flag for delivering one far away from the play after Ramik Wilson had picked off the pass.
The Jaguars' third-year starter was the first quarterback to be flagged for the penalty since Jay Cutler committed the same offense in Week 3 of the 2009 season.
CATCHING KELCE
Kelce was ejected with 11:18 left in the game when Foles tries to hit him in the back of the end zone with Jaguars cornerback Prince Amukamara draped all over him. No flag was thrown and Kelce disagreed, and voiced his displeasure to a nearby official, who then threw his flag -- for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Kelce went ballistic , throwing his own towel as if it was a flag. And the official, having already thrown his flag, whipped off his hat and threw that -- another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
"Kind of lost my composure out there," Kelce said. "Felt like an idiot."
RUNNING BACK WOES
The Chiefs struggled to run the ball without Ware on the field. Charcandrick West was held to 39 yards on 13 carries, and Knile Davis ran three times for 10 yards one day after re-signing with Kansas City and completing a weeklong sojourn that began in Green Bay and included a stop with the Jets.
The Chiefs are hopeful Ware passes his concussion test and can play next week at Carolina.
HACKETT'S JOB
While the Jaguars were largely held in check, Nathaniel Hackett earned rave reviews in his first game as their offensive coordinator . He was promoted from quarterbacks coach to replace Greg Olson and directed a group that managed 252 yards through the air and 205 yards on the ground.
"I think we were able to create some stuff," Bortles said. "Nate did a good job of kind of playing things off of each other. He does a good job of when I'm not in a rhythm (asking), `What do you want? What passes do you want? How can I get you in a rhythm? Let's get you some completions.'"
FORD TOUGH
The Chiefs only managed two sacks, but both were by Dee Ford. The former first-round pick had been considered a bust last two years, but already has nine sacks in eight games this season.
He came close to another sack, too, wrapping up Bortles just before the quarterback threw it away.
"I'm trying to forget about that play," Ford said. "I really didn't trust it. While I'm running I'm thinking, `God, I hope this isn't a run play,' and I was there, but he made a good play, got rid of it."
