Getty Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones in 2022.
The Kansas City Chiefs got the victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 17, but it was another nail-biter of a finish for fans.
The game ended with star defensive lineman Chris Jones snuffing out a Broncos comeback attempt — sacking quarterback Russell Wilson on a fourth and two near midfield. It was the game-wrecker’s first sack of the day, although he probably should have been credited with another if not for the lack of clarity on the roughing the passer rules.
“I had [Wilson] wrapped up and he still threw the ball,” Jones complained to reporters after the game, questioning the officiating crew for not blowing the whistle and stopping a play where Wilson refused to go down. “I was telling the ref [that] when I have him wrapped up like that with the rule change, you guys got to blow the whistle a little earlier so I can let him go. Eventually, [defensive] players are going to start holding onto [quarterbacks] and the body weight thing is challenging — so if you gon’ do that, the counterpart is you gotta blow the whistle a little earlier so we don’t have to bring them to the ground.”
Refs Response to Chris Jones: Russell Wilson Not ‘Completely Wrapped Up’
Jones and a media member had a funny exchange after a follow-up question came in about his hit on Wilson at the end of the game.
“Easy, easy. Let’s not make it bigger than what it is,” he joked as if he was looking to avoid any chance of a fine.
“Listen, I was trying to politely put Russ down,” Jones continued. “Unfortunately, for those who are viewing it, it kind of looked rough but it wasn’t. After the play, he immediately got up, so it wasn’t as bad as everyone is saying.”
He also noted that the referees told him that “if I don’t have him completely wrapped up and they don’t feel like he can’t get out, then they’re not going to blow the whistle because they feel like the quarterback can still make a play.”
Jones added that Wilson was “completely wrapped up” on the final sack by their standards, reiterating that there has to be more of a clear line of delineation between the two examples.
Needless to say, the overall confusion regarding the roughing the passer penalty is reaching a breaking point around the NFL community.
Chris Jones Has History With Roughing the Passer Flaws
It’s not the first time that Jones has taken aim at the NFL’s definition of the roughing the passer penalty — as well as the lack of consistency from referees. After a controversial call versus the Las Vegas Raiders this season, the pass rusher actually revealed that quarterback Derek Carr had a laugh with him about the bogus flag that involved them both.
That time, Jones landed on Carr after stripping him of the football. “I’m trying my best,” Jones admitted after the Raiders outing. “I’m 325 pounds, okay. What you want me to do? What you want me to do?”
Jones has also been penalized for trash talking Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan in 2022 — which is insane when you think about it with the benefit of hindsight.
It’s been a renaissance campaign for Jones, who’s playing for a new contract in 2024. With one game left in the regular season, the D-lineman has 13 sacks and 15 tackles for a loss (TFL) for the first time since 2018. He finished that career year with 15.5 sacks and 19 TFLs.
As one of the league’s best players at his position, it’s Jones’ duty to speak out against the flaws of the NFL rulebook. He’s done so time and time again, and he’s doing it respectfully too. A leadership committee is set to discuss potential rule changes regarding roughing penalties in 2023 — let’s hope they’re listening to their athletes.
There will always be a fine line somewhere when enforcing game rules as very few are black and white. Two of Wilson’s “passes” today were a joke. So was the referenced strip sack earlier this year.
definitely, it will probably always be a work in progress unfortunately. thanks for reading!