In March 2024, the Chiefs were two-time Super Bowl champions and in pursuit of an unprecedented three-peat. With a slew of decisions to make in the offseason, one of the first was the question of what to do with All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who was due for an extension.
Jones ultimately agreed to a massive extension worth over $158 million, averaging over $31 million per year, and the team got its defensive leader back. We all know what happened in the Super Bowl that season, but it was through no fault of Jones, who earned first-team All-Pro honors for the third season in a row.
Fast forward to 2026, Jones' age-32 season, and the wear has begun to show. Even with a couple of top-40 picks alongside Jones on the defensive line in first-round defensive tackle Peter Woods and second-round edge rusher R Mason Thomas, Jones' production has lagged this season. The Mississippi State product has racked up 307 pressures since 2018, for an average of 38 per season. Thus far in 2026, Jones has just eight pressures in eight games. Entering Sunday's game vs. the Jets, Jones had just half a sack.
Chris Jones delivers when the Chiefs need him most
Week 9. Second quarter.
Just inside the two-minute warning, the Chiefs led 14-12 over the Jets and were trying to line up one more score before halftime when disaster struck. A Jets rookie defensive lineman cruised around right tackle Jaylon Moore and sacked Mahomes, forcing a fumble that teammate Will McDonald would recover at the Chiefs' 30-yard line. Mahomes came up wincing in immense pain, and suddenly the Jets were in position to get a score late in the half.
Chiefs fans have had this moment of fear before. In 2019, the Chiefs led the Denver Broncos 10-6 (also during the second quarter) when Mahomes suffered a kneecap dislocation at the goal line. While fans' stomachs churned at the thought of the entire season hanging in the balance, the Chiefs' defense did something magical that night.
Just a few plays later, linebacker Anthony Hitchens sacked Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco, and the ball squirted out. Reggie Ragland pounced on it for a quick touchdown. From that moment on, all the Chiefs' defense did was force punt after punt after punt. The Broncos didn't score again, and the Chiefs ran away with a 30-6 victory.
Jones' clutch sack echoes a memorable moment from 2019
See if you can find any parallels in Sunday's win over the Jets. After Mahomes' fumble and injury scare, the Jets were already in range for what would be a fifth field goal on the day for kicker Jason Sanders. Faced with third-and-6 at the Chiefs' 26-yard line, the Chiefs' defense got a huge play from none other than the leader of Sack Nation.
Jones sacked Jets quarterback Geno Smith for a loss of nine yards, and Sanders' 53-yard field goal attempt sailed wide. Just like that fateful night in Denver seven years ago, the Chiefs' defense picked the team up with a clutch play right after Mahomes left the game with an injury. And just like that night in Denver, the Chiefs held their opponent scoreless from that moment on.
Jones wasn't done. In the fourth quarter, he put an end to another Jets possession with a sack on third-and-10. All in all, the Chiefs got to Smith five times on the afternoon, but it was Jones' clutch play in the second quarter that ultimately pushed the Jets out of field goal range and sparked the team's intensity.
Could Jones' resurgence signal bigger things ahead?
Mahomes' injury didn't last long. He re-entered the game on Sunday after the missed field goal and even completed a pass to Travis Kelce and scrambled for seven yards in an attempt to get the Chiefs on the board late in the half.
The 2019 season ultimately ended with Mahomes hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Could there be more parallels to come in this 2026 season? Only time will tell, but if Jones' resurgence on Sunday is an indicator of things to come, that could go a long way toward the Chiefs making a deep playoff run in January.
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