After nearly a month off the field, the face of Kansas City’s defense says he’s ready to start the postseason.
As the Kansas City Chiefs come off their postseason bye week, they are remarkably healthy. Through two practices preparing for Saturday’s Divisional round matchup against Houston Texans, every member of the 53-man roster was listed as a full participant.
That includes star defensive tackle Chris Jones, who left Kansas City’s Week 16 game (also against the Texans) with a calf injury — and then missed the team’s final two contests. But Jones believes the time off has benefited him.
“I was able to get three weeks of rest and get my legs back under me,” he explained to reporters on Wednesday. “It was a long season. Fortunately enough, we were able to seal the first-round bye after the Pittsburgh game, and I was able to take another week off.”
For Jones, that’s been enough.
“I feel really good,” he added. “[I] feel excited — [and] ready to go play some football.”
His teammates were ready to play some football without him. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17, Kansas City sacked quarterback Russell Wilson five times — prompting Jones to joke with his position coach about whether the team needed him.
“I told Joe Cullen he’s going to get me out of here sooner than later playing like this,” said Jones with a grin. “The guys played really, really good. But we’ve got a cohesive group that works really, really well together.”
Jones credited fellow defensive linemen George Karlaftis, Tershawn Wharton, Mike Pennell amd Derrick Nnadi as players who have stepped up this season.
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“So there’s no doubt in my mind,” he continued, “that we had any doubt going into the game — and I wasn’t surprised of the success we had within the game. I just told Joe, ‘I’d rather you have the success with me than without me.’”
Saturday’s game begins what Jones hopes will be a march to his fourth Super Bowl win. As one of only eight players remaining from 2019’s championship roster, he took a moment to compare this squad to the three other Super Bowl teams.
“I think this team is a special team,” said Jones, “but it’s different in a way. This team shows a lot of resiliency. This team can win in a multitude of ways — whether it’s offense, defense or special teams — and we’ve broadcasted that throughout the year. This team had a lot of close games. We have had a lot of injuries [and] faced a lot of adversity early on [and] throughout the year. So this team has overcome a lot just to be here.
“So I think this just [provides a] testament of how strong and how together this team is — how they can overcome a lot and have overcome a lot. So I appreciate the journey. You’ve got to be present within a moment. You’ve got to appreciate the journey — and also, you’ve got to continue to challenge yourself.”
Jones noted that his defensive teammates bring a wealth of playoff experience to the coming games.
“I think like two or three guys on defense haven’t had a Super Bowl or haven’t been to the AFC Championship,” he observed, “and I think those guys get the importance of locking in and how important these games are right now. It’s not like we can come back if we lose and play again.
“You know everything right now is hyped up — whether it’s your own personal ability [or] your skill work. Everybody’s putting extra work in — and throughout the building, I think it’s a fun time. You’ve got appreciate this. There are eight teams left — and we’re one of them.”
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Although Jones’ five sacks this season are underwhelming by his standards, he continues to earn honors. He’s been voted into his sixth Pro Bowl and named a first-team All-Pro for the third straight season. And while he appreciates these honors, they aren’t the one he values most.
“I don’t really care about Pro Bowls,” he said. “When you think about it, I had 15 and a half sacks in my third year and I didn’t even make a Pro Bowl. So that’s when I started really not caring about making a Pro Bowl.
“All-Pro is important to me because you know it’s like the best at your position. That’s a respect thing from your peers — and also from the league executives. But [the] Pro Bowl? I never really cared about it. I felt like it was a popularity contest.
“We care about Super Bowls here. They can keep all the bowls they want. We care about Super Bowls. That’s what we play for. That’s what we care about. That’s the most important thing.”