JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Take it from a former college pitcher whose dad pitched in the Major Leagues. The Kansas City Chiefs have an All-Star closer.

He’s a savvy right-hander named Steve Spagnuolo.

“And you always see when we get leads, he’s great,” Patrick Mahomes said last month. “He’s a great finisher. He’s a great closer, being able to give you different looks and stuff like that.”

Any closer, of course, is inconsequential without something very important: A lead. That’s why Mahomes enters every week with the urgency to put points on the board early and often. Securing an early lead takes pressure off the Chiefs’ defense, transferring that pressure to the opponent.

The elusive offensive accomplishment

So, when the Chiefs (2-2) square off with the Jaguars (3-1) on Monday Night Football (7:15 p.m. CT, ESPN/ABC, KMBC Ch. 9, 96.5 The Fan), Kansas City will seek something that’s proven painfully elusive this season: A touchdown on its first drive.

The Chiefs entered this week as one of just five NFL teams without an opening-drive touchdown. Buffalo, meanwhile, has touchdowns on its initial possession in every game.

Why Andy Reid said Spags came out of his shoes last week

Kansas City appears to be moving in a good direction, though. The Chiefs have posted field goals on their opening drives in each of their last two games. And in last week’s 37-20 win over Baltimore, Kansas City’s defense was happy to play a complementary role – until the unit’s final snap, Justice Hill’s 71-yard touchdown run.

“Yeah, I thought the guys played really, really good, solid football,” Spagnuolo said Friday. “The only play I’m going to remember about the game is going to be the last one, because that’s just what sticks in my head.

“But prior to that, the things that we did and the way we played, and fourth downs were really important, but obviously the focus was on the running back, to get that done first. And then try to get them, in the game to our offense’s credit, they got some points on the board and we were able to dictate a little bit.”

The focus on the running back led to Derrick Henry finishing with only 42 yards. On Monday night, the Chiefs will need a similar focus to shut down Travis Etienne, a task too tall for most teams this year.

Etienne in last week’s win at San Francisco rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown, becoming the only NFL player this year with 120-plus rushing yards in multiple games. He entered this week third in the league with 394 rushing yards.

Obviously, the Chiefs can’t allow Etienne to get outside like Hill did at the end of last week’s game.

“It was a step forward for us,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said after last week’s win. “Unfortunately, at the end of the game, we gave up a huge run.

“We have to learn to close games, whether it’s the ones, twos or the guys that normally don’t get those high-volume reps. We’ve got to close games. I think we took a step forward as a team on offense, defense and special teams. For me, it’s a step toward progression.”