As things currently stand, ahead of Week 12, the Kansas City Chiefs are not in a playoff spot. In fact, they’re technically two games out of one since the Jacksonville Jaguars – currently in the final Wild Card spot – own the head-to-head tiebreaker since they defeated the Chiefs earlier this season. Losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills aren’t doing Kansas City any favors, either.
There are still seven games left to play, so there is time for the Chiefs to make their move, but back-to-back losses have Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and co. with their backs against the wall like never before. Sitting at 5-5, analysts have been looking for reasons for why the Chiefs are struggling to win games like in previous years. The general sentiment is that the ball simply isn’t bouncing Kansas City’s way like it did in 2024, for instance. All the close, one-score games they won last year are now going in favor of their opponents.
But it can’t just all be luck. There are more underlying reasons for why the team isn’t dominating like in previous seasons, and some rival NFL coaches have come out to find a scapegoat: Chris Jones. Seven coaches and executives from around the league were asked by CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones what exactly is going wrong for the Chiefs this year.
Chris Jones is no longer considered a dominant game-wrecker
Many believe they are the same team, but they are just an “older, slower, thinner version” of that. Jones, in particular, garnered some criticism from a few of the coaches surveyed.
- “They are older with [Chris Jones]… Jones always took some plays off, but he could win when he wanted. I don’t know that he wins the same two years later. He can’t turn it on and off like he could.”
- “Chris Jones is diminishing as a game wrecker and can be moved and they’re not dynamic aside from when rushing the passer.”
- “Defensively they have tried to replace Justin Reid with youth and they lost [Tershawn] Wharton, who gave them eight-plus sacks and 40 pressures, with [Jerry] Tillery, magnified by Chris Jones not playing as well.”
The numbers do back up what the rival personnel are saying regarding Jones. He’s no longer the double-digit sack guy he used to be, and he’s currently rated with a 59.1 overall grade by Pro Football Focus, which ranks middle of the pack among defensive interior linemen. At 31 years old, Jones simply can’t dominate like he used to, so others must step up.
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