The Kansas CIty Chiefs are mostly tied to Patrick Mahomes when considering the current dynasty the NFL franchise is building, and rightly so as the former Texas Tech QB has set unprecedented feats, winning three Super Bowls while reaching the AFC Championship in every year he’s started as a professional.
But the 2023 season was much different.
At several times throughout the season, the Chiefs offense looked out of sync and there was a time where many believed they could miss the playoffs or have an early exit at the very least. Opposing defenses were taking away the deep shots and splashy plays Mahomes was known for, so the Chiefs had to adapt their offense to short, quick-hitting routes.
When it was all said and done, Mahomes got the ball in his hands with the game on the line in overtime against the San Francisco 49ers. By now, literally everyone who has followed the NFL for the last 6 years knew exactly what would happen. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs needed to drive the length of the field and get a touchdown to win… and they did just that.
But it was the Chiefs defense that kept them alive in games during the regular season they should have lost.
Veteran All-Pro DT Chris Jones anchored a dominant defense that finished No. 1 in the NFL. The pending free agent posted 10.5 sacks, while creating constant chaos for opposing quarterbacks and stuffing the run per usual.
Not only was Steve Spagunolo’s defense a pilfering menace, but it’s more impressive considering it was the youngest defense in the NFL this season at 25 years, 279 days old, per NFL Research (based on the average age of players with one-plus games played in the regular season). It marks the second time the league’s youngest defense has reached a Super Bowl (2009 Colts, lost in Super Bowl XLVI).
Kansas CIty Chiefs Plan To Make Aggressive Push To Re-SIgn Chris Jones
There has been a ton of speculation about Jones hitting the market and parting ways with the Chiefs for the first time in his career.
For sage veteran Chris Jones, watching the youth develop together and thrive on one of the biggest stages in sports was impressive to say the least.
“I just more so think it’s guys growing and maturing,” Jones said of the defense’s evolution. “You know we’ve got a lot of young guys who we’ve asked to play a lot of reps this year. Like a guy like Trent McDuffie, his progression from Year 1 to Year 2 is astronomical. A guy like L’Jarius Sneed, you watch his base of work for his four years since he’s been here. It’s been extremely proud of those guys.”
Jones was the old man of this year’s Kansas City Chiefs championship squad and praised the young players around him for embracing the challenge and thriving on one of the biggest stages in sports.
Chris Jones was the only Chiefs defensive starter from Super Bowl LIV when K.C. beat the 49ers, who is still on the team’s active roster for the rematch. In four seasons, the entire defense has been essentially remade.
PFF currently ranks Chris Jones as the top free agent heading into the 2024 offseason and the Chiefs’ brass just locked down L’Jarius Sneed with a franchise tag so they will have to find a way to pull out the big bucks to keep their defensive anchor in town.