Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones is beating himself up over this moment
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Jones jumped early on fourth-and-2, drew neutral-zone penalty, Broncos scored.
- Jones, seven-time Pro Bowl starter, committed key mistakes that cost games.
- Chiefs eliminated from playoffs; Jones vows focus on final game and discipline.
The question wasn’t finished when Chris Jones broke in early to respond, a move not unlike one particular play that proved to be a critical moment late in the Chiefs’ 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos.
The setup: On the first play after the two-minute warning, and with the Christmas night game tied 13-13, the Broncos faced a fourth-and-2 from Chiefs’ 9-yard line at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Was Denver really going to snap the ball, pass up a field goal and risk getting stopped by the Chiefs?
We’ll never know. Jones jumped across the line and was flagged for a neutral-zone infraction, a five-yard penalty that gave Denver a first down. Three plays later the Broncos were in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown — after forcing the Chiefs to burn timeouts along the way.
“I know, man, I know, I’m beating myself up,” Jones said. “I know, I know, I know. Mmm. I could have saved us four points.”
Could have. There was no guarantee the Chiefs would have stopped the Broncos, had they decided to snap the ball. Denver quarterback Bo Nix had lined up in the slot. Running back RJ Harvey appeared in position to take a shotgun snap.
Maybe the Broncos were thinking field-goal attempt all along and weren’t planning to snap it ... unless a Chiefs player committed a penalty. Jones did, the first of just two committed by the Chiefs all night.
After the game, Denver Coach Sean Payton said the Broncos didn’t plan to snap the ball. “We were going to take a delay of game penalty and kick the field goal,” he said. “We didn’t have a play.”
Jones thought a Broncos guard had moved. Still, he knew the mistake was his.
“But in a critical situation, I’ve got to be better,” Jones said.
Unfortunately for Jones and the Chiefs, this costly moment isn’t an isolated incident. In the Chiefs’ season-opening game against the Chargers in Brazil, Jones took a bad angle on a third-and-long, enabling L.A. quarterback Justin Herbert to pick up a victory-clinching first down.
In a Week 5 loss a Jacksonville, Jones seemed to freeze instead of pursuing quarterback Trevor Lawrence on a game-winning touchdown run.
Players make mistakes. But they’re magnified when Jones commits them because he’s one of the NFL’s best at his position. Last week, he was named a Pro Bowl starter — he’s been a Pro Bowl selection for seven straight seasons.
Jones recorded his fifth sack of the year Thursday. He played a huge role in the defense keeping the Chiefs in a game in which the KC offense posted 139 total yards.
Yet Jones continued to shoulder blame afterward.
“Critical errors in critical situations, I can’t do that,” he said.
It didn’t matter to Jones that the game had no implications for the Chiefs, save their eventual final record. The team was eliminated from playoff contention with three games remaining. For the first time since Jones joined the Chiefs in 2016, there will be no postseason.
But a game remains. In Week 18, the Chiefs (6-10) wrap up the regular season in Las Vegas against the Raiders. And as head-scratching as this year as been for a franchise that’s played in five of the past six Super Bowls, Jones sees one more opportunity to clean up mistakes.
“We’ve got one more game left,” he said. “We’ve got to focus on it. You’ve got to be where your feet are at.”
And keep them firmly planted before the snap.
This story was originally published December 26, 2025 at 6:30 AM.