Kansas City Chiefs: Chris Jones will be crucial factor in controlling Titans
Whether or not Chris Jones is able to play could be a determining factor in how well the Kansas City Chiefs control the Titans in the AFC Championship.
Leading up to the Divisional Round last week, Kansas City Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones suffered a calf injury. While there was hope he could play through it, he was ultimately unable to and was rendered inactive. His absence didn’t matter in the end, largely thanks to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense exploded for 51 points on the Texans.
But now as we head towards the AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and the Tennessee Titans, the calf injury continues to limit Jones. He was held out of practice on Thursday, which did not provide much optimism for him playing on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Lucky for Chiefs fans, however, Arrowhead Pride tweeted out a video of Jones participating in practice on Friday. If he’s going to suit up for the Titans, him being on the field just two days before the contest is a good sign that he’ll be able to give it a go. And Jones being able to play could be a determining factor in who emerges out of the AFC in Super Bowl LIV.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Just on a baseline level, having your best players on the field is usually a good formula for winning football games. The argument could convincingly be made that Jones is the best player on Kansas City’s defense. Thus, having him on the field against Tennessee just makes them a better football team.
Furthermore, when the Chiefs and Titans met in the regular season (a 35-32 win for Tennessee), Jones had a big impact on the proceedings. He finished the game with eight total tackles and two sacks. Kansas City doesn’t have anyone capable of replicating that type of production.
The biggest reason why Jones will be critical to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship, however, is Kansas City’s plight to control the game. And what that could come down to on Sunday is not allowing Derrick Henry to dictate the action for the Titans.
Admittedly, the Chiefs offense could do their part in this regard as well. If Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill are able to get clicking early and put up points, that could force Ryan Tannehill to take a bigger role in the Tennessee offense and make continuously handing Henry the rock less viable.
What would make things easier for Kansas City would be the ability to slow down Henry. Considering he just became the first player in NFL history with 180+ rushing yards in three consecutive games, that’s certainly not a simple task. Having said that, it’s more realistic if Jones, the Chiefs’ big penetrator on the interior, is on the field.
If Jones is on the field, it’s at least somewhat less likely that Tennessee can burn clock and shorten the game, which plays in their favor against the explosive Chiefs. If Henry is unable to consistently reel off three carries that result in first downs — or even get the Titans in second-and-short situations often — that gives the Kansas City offense more opportunities to subsequently put pressure on Tannehill to be the one that beats them.
NFL Playoffs: 20 Bold predictions for Conference Championships. dark. Next
From what we’ve seen throughout the season and thus far in the playoffs, these are contrasting styles for how these teams want to play. Kansas City wants things to be full throttle while the Titans want to ride Henry and cruise. Chris Jones’ availability could be the biggest key in determining which team wins the battle for controlling the game flow.