Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders took to Twitter during Week 16 preparation to sound off on fans that have been criticizing Kansas City’s pass rush unit.
A couple of days later, teammate and All-Pro Chris Jones issued some advice to Saunders regarding his Twitter antics.
“Stay off of Twitter, bro — forget it,” Jones said of Saunders during his press conference on December 22. “At the end of the day, I understand where [you are] coming from — but in this league, everybody’s not going to like you. Everybody’s not going to appreciate you. As long as the guys in the room understand it, as long as this team, which is the most important part… as long as they understand your value, that’s all that matters.
“That’s how social media is these days. A lot of us have platforms and those [apps] that we get on, and we interact with fans, sometimes it can turn ugly. And it can take a left turn. So for me personally, I just stay off of social media — especially during this time — especially engaging with fans who either dislike you or dislike you for a play you did this year or dislike you for a play you did last game. They’ll live with it. We’ll pick it up next game, and we can talk about it later.”
Jones Focused on Super Bowl Despite Pro Bowl Nod
Jones was one of seven Chiefs players that were elected to the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster for the 2022 season. As a perennial Pro Bowler and All-Pro, Jones is appreciative of the fourth consecutive Pro Bowl nod but says he has bigger goals in mind.
“You got to keep going. I give it all to my D‐line group, man, because without the D‐line, man, guys pushing me to be my best every day,” Jones said of his Pro Bowl nomination. “Without guys challenging me to be the best me every day then none of this is capable, so D‐line, my coach (Defensive Line Coach Joe Cullen), Coach Spags (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) — we’re going to continue to push, man.
“Pro Bowl is a nice thing they have, but you know I don’t play for Pro Bowls, man, I don’t. I don’t. I truly respect the honor to be voted by my peers for it. (I’m) truly appreciative of it, but I don’t play for Pro Bowls, man. I play for Super Bowls. So, this (is) cool and everything. Hopefully, we’ll just keep this thing going, man, (and) we’ll get to the big show.”
Jones Sends Message to Chiefs Kingdom
On Christmas Eve, the Chiefs (11-3) have a home game against the Seattle Seahawks (7-7), who are battling for a playoff spot in the NFC with three games remaining in the regular season. Kansas City is still competing for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, so they need to win out and the Buffalo Bills (11-3) need to register another loss for the Chiefs to re-claim the lead in the conference.
Despite temperatures expected to be in the single digits if not colder at kickoff, Jones believes Chiefs Kingdom will be in full form in Week 16.
“I was going to say bring coats. Oh my God, it’s freezing. I got my blanket in the car, I might just wear that under my shoulder pads during the game,” Jones said of the December 24 Chiefs-Seahawks game. “It’s going to be freezing out there, but I know Kansas City fans (are) the most loyal. They’re going to show up and support, they’re going to be loud, they’re going to be excited. It’s – oof, yeah – it’s going to be freezing. Oh my God. Pray for us, please. Thanks.”
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Chiefs’ Chris Jones Advises Disgruntled Teammate About Twitter Rant