Chris Jones’ penalty draws mixed response from Chiefs fans

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle was quick to accept the blame for the team’s loss to the Colts in Week 3, but fans are mixed about putting it all on him.

If you listen to the response of Chris Jones, there’s really nothing to debate when it comes to who deserves the blame for the Kansas City Chiefs‘ loss to the Indianapolis Colts. At a key point, the team’s star defensive lineman made a serious mistake at the worst possible time and the painful results could be found in the renewed vigor of a Colts offense that found a way to score the go-ahead touchdown shortly thereafter.

But for some fans, it’s not so cut-and-dry.

The Chiefs’ loss in Week 3 wasn’t just a story of a careless error made at the wrong time. Instead, it was a comedy of errors that played out over 60 full minutes. If you made a list of the most egregious mistakes in that game, Jones might not even make the top five—depending upon your viewpoint. The tackles were turnstiles. Patrick Mahomes was off target. Special teams units were embarrassing on all sides, and coaching decisions were confusing and questionable.

The lone bright spot on the day was the entire defensive unit that held the Colts to a single touchdown for the majority of the game and even that was allowed only because special teams coughed up the football on a goal-to-go situation that ruined a three-and-out to start the first quarter.

The Chiefs defense was exceptional on Sunday, and Jones was a big part of that performance. Jones has been a beast for the last two weeks for this defense, and the entire front line feasted on Colts quarterback Matt Ryan at Lucas Oil Stadium—good for 10 quarterback hits and 5 sacks. Jones’ ability to dominate and penetrate makes everything easier on those beside and behind him, and Chiefs Kingdom saw that very clearly in Week 3. Perhaps that’s why some fans want to take it easy on Jones when the team could have easily won despite his error in myriad ways.

Instead of getting the Chiefs off of the field after a fourth-quarter stop, Jones said something wrong to Ryan, the substance of which was unknown, and an official flagged him for it. Just like that, the Colts had a new set of downs, and a gassed defense was forced to try once again to stop them. A few minutes later, tight end Jelani Woods caught his second touchdown on the day. Jones stated, “That was my fault” and accepted the blame in the locker room following the loss.

"“We got off the field — and I put us in a situation to get back on the field,” Jones said, via Nate Taylor of The Athletic. “Then we got scored on. That sums up the game. I’ll take that one. That was my fault. That was definitely my fault. I’ve got to be better. It won’t happen again from me.”"

Some Chiefs fans agreed and slammed Jones for his error.

But others want to keep things in perspective. Jones’ error wasn’t helpful but he was hardly the primary reason for the loss. In fact, the call itself was questionable for some fans.