Despite having 65 career sacks during his seven-year NFL career, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones has yet to record a sack in 12 career playoff games. That’s why one analyst called out Jones ahead of Kansas City’s Super Bowl run this postseason.
“One statistic that keeps coming up around All-Pro conversations is the fact that [Chris] Jones has zero career playoff sacks,” Zack Eisen of Arrowhead Report wrote on January 12. “For the Chiefs to achieve their goals this year, he will have to get his first playoff sack and, most likely, his first few.”
Eisen, although acknowledging Jones needs to step up, didn’t lay all the blame on Kansas City’s former second-round pick.
“Rookie defensive end George Karlaftis is a start to building a strong defensive line around Jones, but the Chiefs need to continue adding pieces if they want to maximize Jones’s prime,” Eisen continued.
Love the guy, but you gotta show up in big games if you wanna be paid at the top of the market.
Same message for Orlando.
Although sacks aren’t always a direct indication of a pass rusher’s performance, it is in Jones’ case when it comes to his playoff efforts.
Take Kansas City’s 2022 playoff run for example; in three games played last postseason, Jones recorded 0 pressures in the Wild Card Round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, 4 QB hurries in the Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills, and 6 QB hurries in the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to PFF. But Jones didn’t have any sacks or QB hits during that run.
Jones, 28, is a three-time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFLPA’a first-ever All-Pro team this season. He will need to continue his All-Pro campaign into the postseason if the Chiefs want to make their third Super Bowl appearance in four seasons.
Justin Reid Talks About Defense’s Hot Finish
Over the last three games of the regular season, Kansas City’s defense gave up on average 15 points per game. During that same span, the Chiefs’ defense recorded 12 sacks and 5 turnovers (3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles), per ESPN, which speaks to how the unit is rounding into form with the playoffs now underway.
Speaking to the media on January 9, Chiefs safety Justin Reid explained why he believes Kansas City’s defense is hitting its stride.
“Yeah, this is the time of year that you want to get hot,” Reid said during his press conference. There was a lot of new faces coming into this defensive system. Like I said at the beginning of the year ‐ that the playbook was deep and really the best way to get experience is just through reps, so our young guys have been getting a lot of reps under their belts.
“Like I said earlier, they’re no longer rookies, they’re first-year players. Me, myself, (I) got a lot of reps under the belt now and starting to settle into the system and really know what the coaches are driving for and what they want us – the defense – to look like. So, it’s coming together at a good time. We were able to finish the regular season on a high note and we’re going to have to take that momentum with us whenever we start approaching this first game of the playoffs.”
Chiefs To Play AFC Title Game in Atlanta if They Make It
If the Chiefs make it to the AFC Championship Game and have to face the Bills, the game will be played in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons, according to the NFL.
Playing on turf won’t be welcomed by many of the players if the game takes place in Atlanta. However, playing the AFC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will at the very least provide stable climate conditions for both teams and a neutral site for both fan bases to attend.
Analyst Calls Out Chiefs’ Chris Jones Ahead of KC’s Super Bowl Run