Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones has plenty of career accolades to hang his hat on. He’s a Super Bowl champion, a two-time AFC title game-winner, a First-Team All-Pro, a 3-time Second-Team All-Pro, and a 4-time Pro Bowler.
One thing that has evaded him throughout his NFL career — recording a sack in the postseason. That’s not to say he hasn’t been productive or good during the playoffs with the Chiefs. He’s been a game-changing player at many steps of the way. Jones recorded 32 total pressures and 8 passes batted in the postseason per PFF, including some critical ones in Super Bowl LIV.
Still, Jones has yet to record a sack in the playoffs. He was again asked about the anomaly by reporters, joking with them in part.
“I thought (I) was going to dodge the question,” Jones said on Thursday. “Unfortunately, I have 10 to 11 playoff games with no sacks. That’s not a huge priority, but I’ve got to make sure I get one this go around just to shut you guys up.”
Sacks are not a huge priority? Don’t get the comment twisted. Jones knows all too well how important sacks are to the defense. He recorded 15.5 of them during the NFL’s regular season, with many of them coming at pivotal moments. He also spent the majority of the offseason fixating over his missed opportunity to sack Bengals QB Joe Burrow in last year’s AFC Championship Game.
“I missed some of the biggest plays of the game,” Jones said, via The Athletic’s Nate Taylor. “You use that as motivation the whole offseason. I felt like if I would’ve made those sacks, the game would’ve been different. I take accountability for that. For me, that’s my driving force right now.”
It’s alright if Jones’ priorities aren’t centered on getting sacks, but instead on ensuring that his team wins the game by any means. That’s not to say he isn’t motivated to record a sack. If you feel your lack of sack production is a reason your team didn’t win an important game — that’s a hell of a motivator. It’s one that clearly drives Jones a bit more than shutting up some media members.
