Why it’s all coming together for Chris Jones, and what that means for the KC Chiefs
Standing in the southeast tunnel of Arrowhead Stadium, Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones waited to hear his name blaring over the speakers, when he felt a tap on the shoulder.
You’re walking last today, he was told.
“No, I’m not,” Jones replied, noting that spot is reserved for safety Tyrann Mathieu, an homage to their defensive leader and a nod to save the best for last, so to speak.
Jones had not yet been informed that Mathieu was questionable to play Sunday against the Cowboys. Mathieu did play and play well in the Chiefs’ 19-9 win, but maybe the switch in player introductions served as an omen.
As in the best for last, indeed.
On a defense that shut down the NFL’s top offense, no one was better Sunday than Jones, a one-man wrecking crew who will be the subject of a Cowboys film review for a week. Jones sacked quarterback Dak Prescott 3 1/2 times (and probably should’ve been credited with four). He forced a fumble on one of them. He recovered a fumble on a teammate’s sack. He had two more stops in the backfield.
And he tipped Prescott’s final pass, redirecting it into cornerback L’Jarius Sneed’s arms for an interception.
All in a day’s work.
“When he gears it up,” coach Andy Reid said, “He’s tough to stop.”
His resurgence comes on the heels of a defense that could stop nobody for the first several weeks of the year. The Chiefs ranked among the league’s worst in just about every defensive category, and that includes their pass rush. Only one team had reached the quarterback less often.
The Chiefs are at their best, though, when No. 95 is at his best. And they got his best Sunday. They’ve been getting it for a few weeks now, overlapping with the addition of Melvin Ingram and a clean bill of health for Frank Clark.
That’s not a coincidence, either. Just take a look at how the game plan Sunday played out. The first of the Chiefs’ five sacks Sunday actually came from Clark, a strip-sack that propped the ball loose and allowed Jones to scoop it up — a tad more cleanly than he attempted to scoop the ball in Philadelphia a month-plus ago.
After that sack, Jones said, the Cowboys’ offensive line made an adjustment.
“They started sliding to Frank Clark and giving me the one-on-ones,” Jones said.
This is how the Chiefs have long envisioned the duo playing. You can’t double them both. And, well, Jones is a guy you’re probably going to want to throw some extra attention.
He’s moved around this season — after embracing a switch to defensive end where he could finally see those one-on-one matchups more frequently, he’s toggling between the interior and the edge. His production against the Cowboys came primarily from the three-tech defensive tackle, and frankly it’s where the bulk of his production has come all year.
But his move there isn’t permanent. Even if he’s more effective there long-term, he and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo believe his versatility keeps defenses in the dark. If they don’t know where he will line up, how can they game plan for him?
“Spags, he does his thing. He moves me around, which I benefit off of it,” Jones said. “The offense can’t just slide to me every series. Puts me in a position to make plays.”
And puts the defense in a position to accomplish what they have over the last month.
The Chiefs have held four straight opponents to 301 yards or fewer — after holding just one of their first seven under that number.
“We knew it was going to mesh together,” Jones said. “We had some rough weeks — a lot of guys injured. It wasn’t clicking together. ... To have everyone back and continue to build that chemistry, I think it’s a huge part of the success for us right now.”
This story was originally published November 21, 2021 at 8:43 PM.