KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It doesn’t take a lot of digging to see the storylines present in Saturday’s matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Two Super Bowl winning coaches in Andy Reid and Doug Pederson, the mentor and the student, along with a pair of young exciting quarterbacks in MVP Patrick Mahomes and up-and-coming star Trevor Lawrence make this game must-watch television starting on Saturday at 4:30 PM ET.
Reid and Pederson first shared a field in 1995 when Pederson played for the Green Bay Packers where Reid was the tight ends coach. The two worked together extensively after that, with Pederson joining Reid’s staff in Philadelphia in 2009 and working with Reid through 2015, following him to Kansas City before leaving to head back to Philadelphia to take over as head coach of the Eagles.
However, Reid being a big mentor for Pederson isn’t necessarily an advantage for Kansas City, at least not according to Locked on Jaguars host Tony Wiggins.
“There’s a perceived advantage that the teacher knows the student a lot better because he taught him everything,” Wiggins said on a crossover episode with Locked on Chiefs host Chris Clark. “I think it might be the reverse. It’s not necessarily an advantage for (Reid)...I do think in critical moments they’ll know what the other is thinking and the one that makes the right guess is the person with the biggest advantage.”
The battle of wits between the two coaches is only part of the story in Saturday’s contest, as a matchup between former NFL MVP and Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes and 23-year-old Trevor Lawrence brings plenty of intrigue as well.
Mahomes led the NFL in passing yards (5,250) and passing touchdowns (41) while earning his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl nod. Lawrence showed dramatic improvement in 2022 under coach Pederson, throwing twice as many touchdowns (25) and half as many interceptions (8) as he had in his rookie year, where he posted 12 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, and a 3-14 record.
The improvements Lawrence showed in one year are a fantastic sign for Pederson and the Jags, but heading to Arrowhead to take on Mahomes and the Chiefs is no easy task - especially against an old friend in Reid.