Offenses fear Chiefs' Chris Jones, Eagles' Jalen Carter could disrupt Super Bowl plans

Los Angeles Times

06-02-2025

NEW ORLEANS — Chris Jones marveled at the sight.
Three years ago, in the final minute of Super Bowl LVI, Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald burst off the line of scrimmage on fourth down, wrapped up Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and took him to the ground. Burrow narrowly avoided a sack by flipping an incomplete pass.
The play clinched the Rams' Super Bowl LVI victory.
'Doing it on the biggest stage — that speaks volumes,' said Jones, the Kansas City Chiefs' three-time All-Pro defensive lineman. 'That was major.'
On Sunday, Jones and Philadelphia defensive tackle Jalen Carter could play Donald-esque game-wrecker roles in the Super Bowl LIX matchup between the Chiefs and Eagles at the Superdome.
Pittsburgh Steelers great L.C. Greenwood holds the Super Bowl record with four sacks in Super Bowl X in 1976. Green Bay's Reggie White, Arizona's Darnell Dockett, Carolina's Kony Ealy, Atlanta's Grady Jarrett and Green Bay's Willie Davis each had three, according to profootballreference.com
Jones and Carter might not reach those totals because of the attention they will demand. Still, their presence and disruptive talents can open the door for others to thrive.
That's what Donald, an eight-time All-Pro and certain first-ballot Hall of Famer, did for the Rams.
'Different heights, different arm lengths, different weights,' Eagles offensive lineman Landon Dickerson said, 'but the one thing that I think all those guys have in common is a high football IQ.
'They're very athletic and they're very explosive, but they focus on the details of the game — they're paying attention to the small things and that's what I think sets guys apart. You can be the biggest, fastest, strongest guy around, but if you don't have those details it's hard to become a great player.'
Jones, 30, was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2016 draft after playing at Mississippi State. In 2022 he amassed a career-best 15½ sacks as the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in four years. The next season he had 10½ as the Chiefs repeated as champions. Last March, Jones signed a five-year extension that included $95 million in guarantees, according to Overthecap.com.
Who did the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Jones pattern his game after?
'I never patterned my game after anybody,' he said. 'I watched Aaron Donald — he was too small. I watched Fletcher Cox — he was too big. I was like, 'I don't know who the hell I'm going to watch,'' and developed himself.
Jones had five sacks this season, increasing his career total to 80½. His versatility makes him especially difficult to contain, Eagles All-Pro tackle Lane Johnson said.
'He can play at a high level inside, and then go outside at defensive end and do the same thing,' Johnson said. 'So he has a rare blend of size and speed, and those traits of where he can do that, and that's what sets him apart. Nobody else can do it.'
Jones' upbeat attitude is contagious — 'I've never seen him have a bad day,' Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said — and the defensive star has grown in other areas.
'He just used to just play the game of football because he loved it,' Spagnuolo said, adding that Jones has become 'a guy who's kind of studied it and played more of a leadership role.'
Carter, 6-3 and 310 pounds, has emerged as the force the Eagles projected when they selected him with the ninth pick in the 2023 draft out of Georgia.
'He combines quickness and strength and he's still got a lot of room to grow,' defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said.
Carter, 23, had six sacks as a rookie while playing limited snaps because of conditioning issues. When coach Nick Sirianni hired Fangio before this season, the veteran coordinator had a simple plan for Carter.
'He had to play more — and we've done that,' Fangio said. 'I'm a better coach when your best players are on the field, not on the sideline. So had to get him in shape.'
This season, with opponents often double-teaming him, Carter had 4½ sacks. He was especially disruptive in the Eagles' divisional-round victory over the Rams, sacking Matthew Stafford twice and creating opportunities for teammates.
'We knew the type of player he was when they brought him in,' Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams said. 'It's going to get scary the older he gets because he's just going to keep learning and growing.'
Carter's profile has been low during the buildup to Sunday's game. He was not a featured player for interviews early in the week, missed final media sessions Wednesday and Thursday because of illness and was listed as limited in practice. On Monday, however, he told the Eagles' website he was accustomed to playing in championship games after helping Georgia win two national titles.
'I've been on big stages before,' he said, adding, 'The goal was to win those games — and our team got that [win]. That's the goal for this week — win the Super Bowl.'
Chiefs All-Pro center Creed Humphrey and two-time All-Pro tackle Joe Thuney said Carter can disrupt both rushing and passing plays.
'He plays with such energy and intensity,' Thuney said.
While some players dream of throwing, catching or running for a last-second, game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl, defensive linemen have an equivalent.
'I mean that's a walk-off sack,' Jones said. 'It doesn't get any better than that.'
Donald came close.
'Hopefully, we're up by 14 points or something like that, so we don't have to get a sack,' Jones said. 'But if it has to end like that, I'll be ready.'