The Kansas City Chiefs are in the middle of their Texas-based stretch of the schedule, and few could have foreseen just how pivotal games in Weeks 13 and 14 have turned out to be. After suffering a gut-punch of a loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, the Chiefs are hoping 10 days of rest can help turn things around with a home game against the Houston Texans awaiting them in primetime.
The Chiefs host the Texans on Sunday Night Football, and it's just the first of five consecutive games that Andy Reid's team is going to have to win to secure a postseason berth. Sitting at 6-6, the odds are stacked against K.C. at this point, but fortunately, the rest of the AFC is a dumpster fire compared to the NFL's other conference, which leaves the door open for the Chiefs despite the middling season.
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones spoke about the urgency felt by players to get the job done. When asked about the confidence level going forward, Jones said there's no other mindset they can have at this stage of the season.
Chris Jones says the Chiefs feel the urgency of a must-win stretch ahead of them in the season's final five weeks.
"I think we don’t have a choice," said Jones. "I think these are critical moments for us as an organization, as a team. Most important, for us as individuals, there’s a sense of urgency and a level of awareness that we all must step our game up."
While the challenge before the Chiefs is daunting, Jones described the vibe around the team as a positive one. While no one can predict Sunday's outcome, Jones is seeing the right things in practice.
"I think everyone is dialed in. I think everyone is committed to doing whatever it takes to to finish their season strong. It’s about being consistent, day in and day out … If we can stay consistent as a team, we can finish strong."
Specifically, Jones said he's only focused on what he can control, and that means doing a better job of getting after the quarterback. In Week 13, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had his way with the Chiefs' defense, and CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens put up monster games as the Dallas offense put up 31 points. Much of that stemmed from Prescott's ability to stand in an undisrupted pocket.
Jones said he was taking stock of his mistakes and those of his fellow linemen after the loss. "I don’t really look around. I look at how I played and what could I have done different. Overall, I think we could have affected the quarterback more as a unit, as a d-line unit. We didn’t affect them as often, so I put that on me and George. We’ve gotta step up and make sure we’re attacking the quarterback and leading these guys."
C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans await, with a defense that has no problem getting after opposing quarterbacks. Jones can only hope he can rise to meet the challenge and spark a winning streak to counter the early-season losses that have them sitting outside the AFC playoff picture.