Here is who national experts predict will win KC Chiefs-Jacksonville Jaguars game

Football fans everywhere have heard this before: it’s tough to beat a team three times in one season.

Whether that’s true is up for debate, but the Chiefs will be going for a different trifecta on Sunday. Can the Chiefs beat the Jaguars for a third time in less than 12 months? KC won regular-season and playoff games at Arrowhead Stadium a year ago, a fact that’s not lost on the Jaguars.

But they’re not dwelling on the previous defeats.

“It’s a new year and getting another opportunity to play these guys,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence told reporters this week. “Obviously, didn’t have a lot of success last year, played them twice and didn’t win either of those games, but it’s a new year. We’ve both got different teams, it’s a new season, all those things, so there’s a different set of challenges.”

Here is who 66 national experts are predicting will win the game, which kicks off at noon Sunday and will air on CBS (KCTV Ch. 5 in KC).

A Chiefs victory is the call from Emmanuel Morgan of the New York Times. Here is an excerpt from his story: “Jacksonville threatened, but did not manage, to oust Kansas City in the divisional round of last season’s A.F.C. playoffs, when Patrick Mahomes went down with an ankle injury and was briefly replaced by Chad Henne. Last week, with tight end Travis Kelce (knee) and defensive lineman Chris Jones (contract holdout) absent, the Chiefs (0-1) weren’t able to fend off an upset loss to the Lions. He should have both players back on the field in Jacksonville, Fla. Jones signed a one-year deal on Monday and should rejoin the lineup, and Kelce said on his podcast with his brother, the Eagles center Jason Kelce, that he is optimistic he’ll be cleared to play.”

A Chiefs victory is the pick for all five NFL.com writers: Ali Bhanpuri (28-24 final score), Tom Blair (31-28), Brooke Cersosimo (28-26), Gennaro Filice (31-21) and Dan Parr (28-24). Here is part of what Cersosimo wrote: “Kansas City just wasn’t the team we’re accustomed to seeing last week without superstars Travis Kelce and Chris Jones. Chiefs receivers totaled five drops(!) and the offense converted just 35.7 percent of its third-down attempts, while the defense logged only one sack. Both franchise cornerstones were back at practice Wednesday, as Jones ended his holdout and Kelce returned from injury for limited work. If these two are indeed back on the field Sunday, I have confidence the Chiefs will be better across the board, giving them a slight edge on the road over a more inconsistent Jaguars group.”

A 30-27 Chiefs victory is the pick from Bill Bender of the Sporting News. This is from his story: “Kelce’s health remains in question, and Mahomes will need more out of Kansas City’s receivers. Trevor Lawrence took a combined seven sacks in those two losses last season. How many snaps will Chris Jones play? We don’t blame anyone for taking the Jaguars here.”

Picking the Chiefs are all seven Bleacher Report writers: Brad Gagnon, Gary Davenport, Maurice Moton, Wes O’Donnell, Dawson Knox, Ian Hanford and Brent Sobleski. Here is part of what Moton wrote: “Last week, the Jaguars gave up 223 passing yards to rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, and trailed the rebuilding Indianapolis Colts up until running back Tank Bigsby scored a touchdown with five minutes and 14 seconds left in regulation. Jacksonville will face a much better offense even if Kelce plays at less than 100 percent. The Chiefs get back into championship form and win by a touchdown.”

The Jaguars will win, say four of seven members of the Florida Times-Union: Mike DiRocco (27-24 final score), Gene Frenette (30-24), Juston Lewis (31-24) and Tim Walters (28-27). Picking the Chiefs: Demetrius Harvey (27-24), Garry Smits (24-20) and Clayton Freeman (26-24). Walters wrote: “Patrick Mahomes may be a generational quarterback, but with average receivers and a running game that was worse than mediocre in Game 1, you have to wonder how the team will rebound in Week 2. Travis Kelce may play, and if he does he won’t be 100 percent. He certainly torched the Jaguars in two games in 2022. But if the Jags can limit him, you have to think they have a chance to win. The Jaguars’ offense looked sluggish in Week 1, but they still scored 31 points. The defense was sharp. This is the week the Jags finally get over the hump with the Chiefs thanks to a late field goal off the big leg of Brandon McManus.”

Six of eight writers at CBS Sports see the Chiefs winning: Will Brinson, Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson, John Breech, Tyler Sullivan and Jamey Eisenberg. The Jaguars are the choice for Pete Prisco and Dave Richard. Prisco sees a 31-30 final. This is a snippet of what he wrote: “The Jaguars had problems on the interior of the offensive line last week, which is big against Jones. But I think Trevor Lawrence and the offense will play much better than a week ago. This is a shootout. Jaguars win a close one.”

The Chiefs are the choice for 10 of 12 writers at the Athletic: Chad Graff, Tashan Reed, Michael-Shawn Dugar, Ben Standig, Zack Rosenblatt, Josh Kendall, Zak Keefer, Austin Mock, Nick Kosmider and Mark Kaboly. Taking the Lions: Zac Jackson and Larry Holder. This is a passage from that story: “What an odd first week for the Super Bowl-champion Chiefs. Defensive standout Chris Jones (holdout) and Travis Kelce (injury) missed the Week 1 loss. Eleven players caught passes from Patrick Mahomes, but the offense struggled and only scored six points in the second half against Detroit. And just like that, the Chiefs are staring at the possibility of beginning the season 0-2 for the first time since 2014. Yet, most people aren’t concerned about how the Chiefs will respond, even with the current offensive weapons surrounding Mahomes looking as mediocre as ever before. Why? It’s the Chiefs. Andy Reid and Mahomes have a catalog of hits that make it impossible ever to count Kansas City out.”

Nine of 10 experts at ESPN see the Chiefs winning: Stephania Bell, Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Jeremy Fowler, Dan Graziano, Moses Moody, Jason Reid, Lindsey Thiry and Seth Wickersham. Picking the Jaguars is Kimberly Martin.

Picking the Chiefs to win are six of eight USA Today writers: Chris Bumbaca (28-26 final score), Nate Davis (30-27), Tyler Dragon (26-22), Victoria Hernandez (24-20), Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (34-24) and Lorenzo Reyes (31-21). Going with the Jaguars: Jarrett Bell (30-27) and Safid Deen (27-24).

Five of seven experts at Sports Illustrated went with the Chiefs: Albert Breer, Mitch Goldich, Gilberto Manzano, Conor Orr and Matt Verderame. Picking Jacksonville: Claire Kuwana and John Pluym