Kansas City Chiefs tackle Jawaan Taylor struggled mightily during Sunday’s matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, about a week after being scrutinized for his alignment in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. Here’s what you need to know:
- Taylor committed five penalties against the Jaguars within the Chiefs’ 17-9 win. The Chiefs briefly removed Taylor from the game after his fourth penalty.
- According to CBS, Taylor is the most penalized player in a single NFL game since 2000 when former San Diego Chargers tackle Marcus McNeil had six infractions.
- Taylor came to the Chiefs this offseason on a four-year deal worth $80 million, including $60 million guaranteed.
GO DEEPER
David Bakhtiari ‘baffled’ by Jawaan Taylor’s alignment: ‘I can’t defend that’
Backstory
NBC’s broadcast team pointed out how Taylor lined up too far off the line of scrimmage in the league’s 2023 season-opening game in Week 1. The Chiefs lost to the Detroit Lions in Week 1. It drew the ire of many onlookers, including Green Bay Packers tackle David Bakhtiari.
“I sent all my buddies a group text and I said, I don’t care about his get-off,” Bakhtiari said. “There were a lot legal, some of them I would say they didn’t get called, but that is the fringe, the gray area. I can live with that. His alignment was — I was baffled.
“I just remember looking at that and thinking, dude, what? You have to break the center’s belt,” Bakhtiari continued. “Hence why, from my stance, my foot is super far back, so it makes me look super far back in general, but that’s why I always lean my head super far forward. If he wants to be that far back, you have to lean your head forward and break the center’s belt.”
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Taylor should be a strength
The Jaguars’ 2019 second-round pick yielded a 3.3 percent pressure rate and one sack during Weeks 14-18 last season. The average rate for tackles sat at 5.5 percent during that span, so Taylor kept Trevor Lawrence well-protected. Taylor should be doing the same for Patrick Mahomes.
And even though this is more about the stretch run of last season, just one more set of numbers to prove Taylor’s significance and improvement. Taylor’s 2.5 percent pressure rate allowed last season ranked fourth among all tackles (left or right), continuing a trend of steady growth. Here’s a look at Taylor’s pressure rates over the past three seasons:
- 2020: 8.0 percent (fifth worst among tackles)
- 2021: 4.8 percent
- 2022: 2.5 percent
So his struggles through two weeks have been a bit baffling. — Holder
Required reading
(Photo: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)
