Chiefs vs. Jaguars: What they’re saying

Jacksonville head coach Doug Marrone took a bit of a different approach than cornerback Jalen Ramsey infamously did when responding to Tyreek Hill’s comments during a press conference this past week.

When it came to talking about the Jaguars’ upcoming Week 5 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Marrone left his jabs in the playbook and was nothing but complimentary towards Andy Reid’s undefeated squad:

On the unique challenges the Chiefs offense presents:

“I honestly don’t know that can be a long, long, long conversation. I think it’s challenging with the group up front. They’re a veteran group, they play hard and they stay on blocks. Then you look at the playmakers on the outside, even the guys behind them like Demarcus Robinson, Chris Conley and D’Anthony Thomas — those guys are all playing well.

“Tyreek Hill, in my mind, is the most explosive player in the league. Travis Kelce has an unbelievable catch radius, he’s great after the catch and it’s very difficult to guard him. Sammy Watkins, Kareem Hunt — all these guys are going to test you in space.”

On Patrick Mahomes’ success over the past four weeks:

“I don’t know if there are enough things you can say about how well he’s playing. From a coaching standpoint, we know what coach Reid can put out and Mahomes is like a combination of all the great quarterbacks in the league so there’s really not a weakness. It’s just a matter of that we’re going to have to play really well and do the best job we can.”

On what makes Travis Kelce dangerous:

“You never get a beat on where he’s going — you can get him one on one you can get him on linebackers, on safeties, on corners, you know, you just feel good about going to him. I saw a lot of him when I was in college and he kicked our ass, but a lot of it is his run after the catch. It’s outstanding. He’s big, He’s strong, he plays with a ton of intensity. I wish he went to Syracuse.”

On the Chiefs defense:

“I have a ton of respect for (Bob) Sutton. He’s a guy I’ve always tried to pick his brain so I can learn from him, but that group, what stands out in my mind, people talk about all of those other stats and I look at one: third down. They’re the best team in the league on third down—teams are averaging about 23 percent and you’re going to win a lot of games like that.”

On Sammy Watkin’s growth:

“I think Sammy’s been a great player and All-Pro since the first time I met him. He works extremely hard, he has great hands, he blocks, I don’t know if there’s a route that he can’t run. He’s strong, he’s fast and he has a great demeanor about him, he’s a great team guy. He’s a tough guy, he’ll go in there and block and knock somebody down and he’ll clear out for you. When the game’s on the line, I can’t speak for KC, but when he was with us in Buffalo, if the game was on the line, that’s the guy we tired to get the ball to and he won a couple of games for us singlehandedly.”