5 questions with Arrowhead Pride: ‘It feels like grownups are running the Chiefs’

Thanks to @ArrowheadPride for answering my questions about the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Kansas City Chiefs matchup.

1. As crazy as it sounds, y'all are third in the AFC West with a 5-2 record. Do you think there's a chance this Chiefs team misses out on the playoffs?

The Chiefs have a pretty good shot at the playoffs, better than all but a team or two in the AFC. That's certainly the thought in Kansas City. The Chiefs have shown they're a 10-win a year type of team. Their defense is playing terrific again. They have depth all over the place. They already have two wins in the division and the late season schedule is favorable. I would put some money on them making the playoffs.

2. The Jaguars and Chiefs started their rebuilds around the same time. What are the biggest differences in how they went about it?

A few things come to mind ... First, the head coach. That's not really a knock on Gus Bradley but a credit to Andy Reid. It feels like grownups are running the Chiefs. Andy Reid has been doing this for a long time and he's won a lot of games. He obviously knows what he's doing. We can argue whether Reid will ever take the Chiefs to a Super Bowl but Jaguars fans would have to admit that it would be nice to win 10 games and be in playoff contention every year, which is what the Chiefs get with Reid.

Additionally, the Chiefs had plenty of good players when Reid took over. This was a good team missing a couple of key positions. They're turned over a decent chunk of the roster but Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Justin Houston, Dontari Poe and Eric Berry were already here and they've been a big part of the defensive success the past three years. Finally, Blake Bortles might have (or have had) a higher ceiling than Alex Smith but with Alex you know what you’re going to get. Talk about his short comings all you want but completing 65 percent of his passes and throwing 20-something touchdowns to seven picks is going to win some games.

3. If you were the Jaguars coordinators, how would you game plan against either side of the ball for the Chiefs?

On defense, I would make Nick Foles as uncomfortable as possible. He's going to be starting this game and while he's been with Andy Reid before there has to be parts of the offense where he's uncomfortable. Make him make a fast decision and hope he makes a mistake. We're used to seeing Alex Smith avoid turnovers like the plague but that could be different under Foles.

On offense, I would stretch the field. The Jaguars probably won't have a bunch of success with 10 and 12-play drives. You don't want to throw at Marcus Peters very often but you can catch him on a vertical route with no safety help.

4. Is there a Jaguars player on either side of the ball that you say, "If the Chiefs don't stop him, we're in trouble"?

Allen Robinson comes to mind on offense. He had a big year last year although he may not be on the same statistical pace this year. And on defense after getting Marcus Peters, Jalen Ramsey looks like a lot of fun.

5. What's gonna happen on Sunday? Will the Jaguars lose by multiple scores? Will they keep it close? Is there any chance of an upset?

The Chiefs will be playing in a game they expect to win in a place where they haven't lost in over a year. Yeah, I think the Chiefs will win by a couple of scores. Maybe there's a Foles meltdown and the Jaguars can upset the Chiefs. I doubt it but that's what I would be hoping for at Big Cat Country.