In two games against the Chiefs last year — one in the regular season, the other in the playoffs — Jaguars edge rusher Josh Allen recorded just one quarterback hit.
But after tallying 3.0 sacks against rookie Anthony Richardson and the Colts, Allen is looking to keep the good times rolling with a strong outing against the defending Super Bowl champions.
He’s particularly taking this matchup to heart after Kansas City ended Jacksonville’s postseason in last year’s divisional round.
“It’s a little personal for me because the last two times we played them last year, I wasn’t at my best,” Allen said on Monday, via Demetrius Harvey of the Florida Times-Union. “For me, it’s personal but at the end of the day, I got a job to do and for me to be where I need to be, I also need to know what I’m doing out there.”
Allen noted that he’s thinking of this matchup in some ways like a playoff game, knowing that it could have implications for conference seeding at the end of the year.
“We may see this team later down the road, so we want to get in early and we also can’t lose at home,” Allen said. “We know our fans are going to show out and be out there even though it’s going to be really hot, we know they’re going to cheer and support us. We’re really excited [about] that and ready to go.”
Now in the last year of his rookie contract, Allen has not recorded double-digit sacks since his rookie year, when he had 10.5 in 16 games. After setting a new single-game career-high with 3.0 last week, Allen appears on his way to a big fifth season. If he comes through against the Chiefs, that will definitely help.