The Jacksonville Jaguars earned a marquee win in a 31-28 thriller against the Kansas City Chiefs. Trevor Lawrence saved the day with a heroic touchdown late in the game. Unfortunately for Jacksonville, the win cost them one of their top weapons. Third-year tight end Brenton Strange will miss the next four weeks with a quadriceps injury after landing on the Jaguars' injured reserve.
The 24-year-old started the season strong, but Lawrence will have to live without his safety option for a while. According to ESPN's NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Strange is out for the foreseeable future. Jacksonville faces a tough stretch ahead and will have to make do without its starting tight end. Johnny Mundt and Hunter Long will have a chance to step into his role.
Strange was a key part of one of the league's better offenses this season. While new Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has received his flowers from opposing defensive coordinators, his players have blossomed in his system. Lawrence threw for more than 220 yards for the third time this season on Monday night. The star quarterback also added 54 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
After taking the Chiefs down, the Jaguars sit at 4-1 heading into Week 6. A surprising start from the Indianapolis Colts has them and Jacksonville locked in an intriguing race atop the AFC South. A disastrous start from the Houston Texans puts them in a distant third more than a quarter of the way through the regular season.
Without Strange in the mix, the rest of the Jaguars' pass-catchers are under more pressure. Jacksonville's star rookie Travis Hunter suffered an injury against the Chiefs. However, the two-way player stayed in the game, showing out in the best game of his young career. If the Jaguars want to continue winning, Hunter needs to step up to make up for Strange's absence.
