Chiefs’ Chris Jones kept on streaking right through the Cardinals’ backfield
Energetic and boisterous defensive lineman Chris Jones quipped to reporters that guys at his position aren’t wanted for nearly as many marketing opportunities as skill-position players, such as wide receivers and running backs. He quickly added the caveat that those chances don’t come unless they’ve got a personality like he does.
Well, Jones, the hulking Chiefs defensive lineman, spent nearly as much time in the Arizona Cardinals’ backfield as running back David Johnson as he wreaked havoc on a clearly overmatched Cardinals offensive.
That’s the kind of day Jones and his partners on the Chiefs’ defensive front enjoyed as they thoroughly harassed, hurried and hammered Cardinals rookie quarterback Josh Rosen in a 26-14 win at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs hit Rosen 13 times, sacked him five times and intercepted him twice. Jones extended his streak to six consecutive games with at least one sack.
“It’s all about competition on this defense,” Jones said. “We want to pick each other up, but we also want to compete with one another, you know. Dee Ford got a sack, (Justin Houston) got a sack. Allen Bailey got a sack. We just keep going. It’s like a domino effect.”
Jones recorded two sacks, which pushed his season total to a career-high seven with six games still to play, and a forced fumble to go with another tackle, two passes batted down and three hits on the quarterback.
His first sack, a strip-sack, came when he drove his blocker all the way back almost into Rosen’s lap and then managed to reach around the blocker to knock the ball away from Rosen in the second quarter.
The 6-foot-6, 310-pound third-year man out of Mississippi State now has 15.5 career sacks and six forced fumbles in his career.
“You can’t predict sacks,” Chiefs outside linebacker Dee Ford said. “You don’t really plan games like that. Chris rushes every play like he’s going to get a sack. Really, they come. Sacks come in bunches. I learned that early on. Especially in the league, the ball comes out quick. Sometimes you’ll have good games rushing the quarterback and you might not get a sack, but Chris has that tenacity to rush every play, so it’s really working out for him.”
Jones’ exploits can get overlooked at times with him being an interior rusher and outside linebackers Ford and Houston having established themselves as top edge rushers. Ford, named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for October, notched his ninth sacks this season in Sunday’s win. Houston, who returned to the starting lineup on Sunday after missing the past four games, has a 22-sack season on his resume.
Chiefs inside linebacker Reggie Ragland stood in front of his locker during his postgame media session and proclaimed Jones the best pass rusher at his position in the NFL. As far as Jones maybe being under the radar, Ragland immediately refuted that notion.
“Man, he’s not going under no radar,” Ragland said. “They know exactly who that guy is. It’s just easier for him to come free because you’ve got those guys on the outside. You’ve got to double Dee because Dee is getting pressure every time, so he’s going to keep doing what he’s doing: eating.”
Lynn Worthy
Lynn Worthy covers the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL for The Star.
