Four stellar defensive standouts from Chiefs vs. Seahawks

Chris Jones

It feels unfair to list Chris Jones among defensive standouts from this game, but only because it’s like choosing Patrick Mahomes in a list of offensive weapons. The obvious response is to shrug and say, “Of course.’

Jones has been in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year all season with the most disruptive season to date, a sign that he’s truly reached his peak as an all-around threat from the inside. He’s hung with the league leaders in sacks all year despite getting very little help around him, all while freeing up others around him to take advantage of one-on-one matchups (if they can).

In Week 16, Jones played like a man possessed (or his normal self) and had multiple pressures altering what Geno Smith wanted to do along with backfield stops that stalled the offense entirely. There’s a reason the Seahawks performed so poorly on third and fourth down conversions (a combined 5 of 20) and Jones’ presence was perhaps the biggest reason of all.

The idea that Jones should go without saying takes credit away from what we all should actually be talking about non-stop. Jones is one of the NFL’s single most impactful defenders and the Chiefs are lucky to have him.