Josh Allen got his season started with a bang, recording three sacks against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. A Week 2 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs will be a little more personal, though.
Lined up across from him in the Jaguars’ home opener will be his former teammate, Jawaan Taylor, who left in free agency earlier this year to join the Chiefs on a four-year, $80 million deal. However, it won’t quite be the first time Allen and Taylor face each other as opponents.
“I’ve been dealing with Jawaan since college,” Allen said in a press conference Monday. “We’ve been having battles way back from Florida-Kentucky. Obviously, we get drafted together, so having those battles up there.
“I’m excited to play against him. Travon [Walker] is, as well. Travon has been going against him since last year, as well. He knows what we can do, we know what he can do. If we continue to do what we’re supposed to do, I think we’ll have a good opportunity to go win some rushes.”
During his last two years with the Kentucky Wildcats, Allen recorded a sack against Florida in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In the 2019 NFL draft, he and Taylor were the Jaguars’ first two picks.
Since then, the two have faced each other often on the practice field and they’ve trained together in the offseason in Orange Park, a suburb in southern Jacksonville.
Allen’s desire to show out in Week 2 goes a little beyond his matchup with his former teammate, though. Last year, in the Jaguars’ two losses against the Chiefs, he recorded just one quarterback hit.
“It’s a little personal for me because the last two times we played them last year, I wasn’t at my best,” Allen said. “For me, it’s personal but at the end of the day, I got a job to do and for me to be where I need to be, I also need to know what I’m doing out there. The film study and the preparation takes a full hand. If I continue to do that and continue to practice well, everything else is going to take care of itself and that’s what I want to be more consistent on.”
Allen lined up against the Colts’ right tackle on 40 of his 57 defensive snaps in Week 1.
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