Subscribe
Follow Us
Chris Jones and the Kansas City Chiefs are on the cusp of history. The NFL is the only sports league that has never witnessed a three-peat champion. Jones and the Chiefs are one victory away from becoming the first ahead of Super Bowl 59.
The veteran defensive lineman is one of the harder players to game plan for. Jones brings a deadly mix of power, leverage, snap explosion and versatility up and down the Chiefs' line. He's proven to change the phase of a game, all while leading a stout Chiefs defense. Jones will now face an Eagles team whose fatal flaw is the passing game.
Jones, though, plays a position that's never produced a solo Most Valuable Player for the big game. Ten defenders have claimed the MVP honor for the Super Bowl. Randy White earned MVP honors in Super Bowl XII as a defensive tackle, but he shared the award with defensive end teammate Harvey Martin.
Is Jones capable of claiming this year's honor? And how will he impact the game on Feb. 9? Here are bold predictions for Jones.
Chris Jones will grab 2 sacks or more
Jones is facing an Eagles offensive line that allowed 49 sacks of Jalen Hurts. That includes the 11 they surrendered during the playoffs.
Blocking Jones sets itself up as a recipe for disaster for Philly. There's two reasons along the Eagles offensive line behind this projection.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo gets Jones to attack the “B” gap. That area has guard Mekhi Becton and center Cam Jurgens manning the gap for Philly — who've given up 11 sacks combined according to Pro Football Focus. Jones lines up over that gap assignment the most (368 total plays per PFF).
We're going with two sacks as the over/under for Jones. Spagnuolo will likely take samples from the Los Angeles Rams on how they attacked Hurts. The QB endured seven sacks against the Rams, with L.A. applying the most pressure along the interior which freed up Jared Verse to finish off Hurts. We're thinking Jones nails two early sacks in the big game.
Jones will disrupt the Eagles' running attack
Philadelphia wore down defenses with Saquon Barkley — gashing units with a 2,000-yard regular season followed by three 100-yard postseason games.
Barkley's done his most damage going up the right side, also the “B” gap. But again, that's where Jones resides.
Jones will get enough of a push to disrupt the Eagles' ground attack. The NFC champion's offensive coordinator Kellen Moore likely has to settle for more misdirection or outside zone runs with Barkley.
Article Continues Below
Barkley, Moore and the Eagles are still facing one of the league's best against the ground game. Jones is more than capable of throwing off the Eagles' rushing plans.
2 Eagles will try to counter Jones late in game
Becton and Jurgens will need some reinforcements for Jones. Same is the case for left guard Landon Dickerson.
Jones is not the kind of defender you leave with a solo blocker. The Eagles will call on two reinforcements already in the trenches.
Expect the tackle tandem of Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson to provide added muscle in containing Jones. Moore and Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland can roll with a “chipping” strategy on Jones. Another words, Mailata and Johnson can throw their shoulder onto Jones to disrupt him, then pivot to another defender. That tactic can slow up Jones and his pursuit toward Hurts or Barkley.
Philadelphia looks bound to turn to this philosophy if Jones is wrecking the trenches early.
Jones and Chiefs will be locked in a shootout
This is going to become a game of adjustments. Most Super Bowls flow that way. Jones forces offensive line coaches, OC's and the opposing head coach to deviate from their original plans.
That said, got a strong feeling Moore will turn to quick screens and swing passes to frustrate Jones. He'll aim to get Hurts to distribute the ball in less than three seconds and force the DT to chase down the ball instead of the QB.
The Chiefs have proven they can win off defense and not just Patrick Mahomes or Travis Kelce. But this is the most complete offense Jones and company will face.
Jones' MVP chances only increases if Super Bowl 59 becomes a low-scoring affair. But there's simply too much talent and aggressive play-calling on offense for that to happen. Jones and K.C. already allowed 20 or more points in eight games (including playoffs). He'll set the tone early for the back-to-back champs, but signs point to another Super Bowl shootout involving both teams.
