Chris Jones first to answer wake-up call for Chiefs defense

After getting blistered by the New York Jets last week, the Chiefs defense believed it needed to make an early statement.

It happened on the game’s third play.

Defensive end Chris Jones beat his block and got to Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr for a 7-yard sack.

Arrowhead Stadium went nuts. So did the animated Jones, and the Chiefs were on their way to a 26-15 triumph on Sunday that kept them atop the AFC West.

“It was about getting to the quarterback today,” Jones said. “We know he likes to get the ball out fast, and we affected him.”

The Chiefs did just that to Carr, who is now 0-4 in starts in Kansas City. From a passer rating standpoint, Sunday was Carr’s fifth worst game at 60.1 percent. His career worst came at Arrowhead last season.

He didn’t quibble when asked about his latest performance, during which he completed 24 of 41 passes for 211 yards.

“It sucked,” Carr said. “It was not good enough and you can put it all on me. Don’t blame one coach, one player. It’s my fault. … I’m just frustrated with myself.”

It was a reversal performance from earlier in the season. Carr had torched the Chiefs for 417 passing yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner with no time on the clock in the 31-30 Raiders’ victory in October.

The Chiefs, who came into the game riding a four-game losing streak, knew it couldn’t yield those type of numbers and Jones believed the responsibility started up front.

“We felt like the defensive line had to come in and set the tone,” Jones said.

The opening series sack was Jones’ first big moment. There would be more. In the second quarter, he got enough of Carr’s arm to turn a pass into a pop-up. Chiefs cornerback Terrance Mitchell beat Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree to the ball, and the interception led to a field goal.

The Raiders’ first nine possessions ended in seven punts, the interception and a fumble, allowing the Chiefs to take a shutout into the fourth quarter.

Jones was huge, adding a tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries to his sack. It was his best game since recording three sacks and grabbing an interception against the Eagles in the second week.

This Chiefs defense entered the game short-handed with All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters serving a one-game suspension. The Chiefs started Mitchell at Peters’ left side position, and the unit rose to a challenge.

“Terrance Mitchell, you can’t say enough about that guy, how well he played today,” Jones said.

There were plenty of other standouts. Justin Houston and Jarvis Jenkins recorded sacks. Steven Nelson forced a fumble that Frank Zombo recovered. Steven Terrell had a pick. Reggie Ragland continued his hard-hitting play.

But when the game’s first statement was made, Jones got there first.

This story was originally published December 10, 2017 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Chris Jones first to answer wake-up call for Chiefs defense."