Latest news with #ChrisJones
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will the Chiefs actually regress in 2025?
Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz and senior NFL writer Frank Schwab discuss how the defending AFC champions could take a step back this season. Hear the full conversation on 'Inside Coverage' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Give me a Super Bowl caliber team that you're boom or bust on. Oh, I'm gonna do this again. I, and I, it's so dumb when I do it, and I do it all the time, but, uh, I'm not a very smart man. I don't learn from my mistakes. The Kansas City Chiefs are gonna regress, right? Like, let's think about last year. We all remember they were winning every close game. They caught every break any team could possibly catch. They set an NFL record with consecutive wins in one score games. Uh, I don't think they, I don't want to sit here and say they were exposed in the Super Bowl. They played a really good team and just had a bad day, and I, I don't think that that was indicative of who the Chiefs are. But all of a sudden now, Rashee Rice, his suspension might be back on the table, and Travis Kelce is getting older. Chris Jones is getting older, as great as he's been. Throughout this Chiefs' run, uh, I think 9 straight division titles, how often has there been a good second team in the AFC West? And the answer is pretty rarely. I think there's two now. We can debate whether you like the Broncos or Chargers more to compete with the Chiefs in this division. Maybe the answer is both. I like the Chargers. Others prefer the Broncos, but I think you're going to get, again, these two teams did make the playoffs last year. I think you're gonna get both of those teams kind of nipping at the Chiefs' heels this year. I think we're gonna look up in December and say, wow, the Chiefs could be a wild card team this year because the Broncos and Chargers are right there with them. I, I feel like the Chargers are a 10-win team and the Broncos are a 10-win team, and the Chiefs are a 13-win team. I can get the Chiefs down to like 12 and 5, and maybe that will feel like tremendous regression, but I don't know, man. Like I just, I have a hard time betting against them. I, I just think that, again, the bust for the Chiefs is you, you, you are a wild card team and maybe, you know, you go on the road, Buffalo week one or Ravens week wild card weekend, and you lose. That's a bust for them. Uh, I think if some of these breaks don't go their way, all of a sudden we're looking and saying, oh wow, they they have to go on the road week one. This is the first time ever for the Chiefs as a wildcard in the playoffs here. I think that's on the table. Close


Washington Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Chiefs' Chris Jones voted top interior defensive lineman by AP panel
The one main constant on Kansas City's defense during a run of seven straight appearances in the AFC title game has been defensive tackle Chris Jones. While Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have carried the offense, Jones has done the same on the defensive end for the Chiefs with his knack of creating pressure at key moments playing a crucial role in Kansas City's success.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chiefs' Chris Jones voted top interior defensive lineman by AP panel
The one main constant on Kansas City's defense during a run of seven straight appearances in the AFC title game has been defensive tackle Chris Jones. While Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have carried the offense, Jones has done the same on the defensive end for the Chiefs with his knack of creating pressure at key moments playing a crucial role in Kansas City's success. That helped Jones win the honor of being voted the top interior defensive lineman in the league by The Associated Press. A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at interior defensive line, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points. Jones got seven of the eight first-place votes to go with one second to win the voting easily. Two other players were on all eight ballots with Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants getting the other first-place vote to come in second and Philadelphia's Jalen Carter finishing third. Pittsburgh's Cam Heyward finished fourth and Quinnen Williams of the Jets came in fifth. Seattle's Leonard Williams, Tennessee's Jeffery Simmons, Denver's Zach Allen and Carolina's Derrick Brown also received votes. 1. CHRIS JONES, Kansas City Chiefs Jones' sack total of five last season was his lowest since his rookie season in 2016 but he still earned his third straight All-Pro selection after finishing second among all interior defensive linemen with 74 pressures in the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus. Jones' 72 sacks over the past seven seasons rank tied for fifth overall in that span and tied with Aaron Donald for the most among interior linemen. 2. DEXTER LAWRENCE, New York Giants While most of the other players who got votes at interior defensive line are '3 technique' tackles who line up on the outside shoulder of the guards, Lawrence mostly plays nose tackle directly over the center. Those players are typically run stoppers since it is easier to double-team them in the pass game but Lawrence thrives at both. He had a career-high nine sacks in 12 games last season and his 103 pressures when lined up as a nose tackle the past three seasons are 80 more than any other player, according to PFF. 3. JALEN CARTER, Philadelphia Eagles Carter was the anchor of Philadelphia's Super Bowl-winning defense last season. He has 10 1/2 sacks and 102 total pressures in the regular season in his first two years, according to PFF, and helps free up the edge rushers for the Eagles because he warrants so many double teams. 4. CAM HEYWARD, Pittsburgh Steelers Heyward has shown no signs of aging as heads into this season at age 36. He had eight sacks last season when he earned his fourth first-team All-Pro selection. He has 63 1/2 sacks and 91 tackles for loss in the past eight seasons, earning Pro Bowl bids in seven of them. 5. QUINNEN WILLIAMS, New York Jets Williams' production dipped last season as the Jets' defense struggled overall but he has been a consistent performer since being drafted third overall in 2019. He still has 176 pressures and 23 1/2 sacks the past three seasons. ___ AP NFL: Josh Dubow, The Associated Press

Associated Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Chiefs' Chris Jones voted top interior defensive lineman by AP panel
The one main constant on Kansas City's defense during a run of seven straight appearances in the AFC title game has been defensive tackle Chris Jones. While Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have carried the offense, Jones has done the same on the defensive end for the Chiefs with his knack of creating pressure at key moments playing a crucial role in Kansas City's success. That helped Jones win the honor of being voted the top interior defensive lineman in the league by The Associated Press. A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at interior defensive line, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points. Jones got seven of the eight first-place votes to go with one second to win the voting easily. Two other players were on all eight ballots with Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants getting the other first-place vote to come in second and Philadelphia's Jalen Carter finishing third. Pittsburgh's Cam Heyward finished fourth and Quinnen Williams of the Jets came in fifth. Seattle's Leonard Williams, Tennessee's Jeffery Simmons, Denver's Zach Allen and Carolina's Derrick Brown also received votes. 1. CHRIS JONES, Kansas City Chiefs Jones' sack total of five last season was his lowest since his rookie season in 2016 but he still earned his third straight All-Pro selection after finishing second among all interior defensive linemen with 74 pressures in the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus. Jones' 72 sacks over the past seven seasons rank tied for fifth overall in that span and tied with Aaron Donald for the most among interior linemen. 2. DEXTER LAWRENCE, New York Giants While most of the other players who got votes at interior defensive line are '3 technique' tackles who line up on the outside shoulder of the guards, Lawrence mostly plays nose tackle directly over the center. Those players are typically run stoppers since it is easier to double-team them in the pass game but Lawrence thrives at both. He had a career-high nine sacks in 12 games last season and his 103 pressures when lined up as a nose tackle the past three seasons are 80 more than any other player, according to PFF. 3. JALEN CARTER, Philadelphia Eagles Carter was the anchor of Philadelphia's Super Bowl-winning defense last season. He has 10 1/2 sacks and 102 total pressures in the regular season in his first two years, according to PFF, and helps free up the edge rushers for the Eagles because he warrants so many double teams. 4. CAM HEYWARD, Pittsburgh Steelers Heyward has shown no signs of aging as heads into this season at age 36. He had eight sacks last season when he earned his fourth first-team All-Pro selection. He has 63 1/2 sacks and 91 tackles for loss in the past eight seasons, earning Pro Bowl bids in seven of them. 5. QUINNEN WILLIAMS, New York Jets Williams' production dipped last season as the Jets' defense struggled overall but he has been a consistent performer since being drafted third overall in 2019. He still has 176 pressures and 23 1/2 sacks the past three seasons. ___ AP NFL:


Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Chiefs' Chris Jones voted top interior defensive lineman by AP panel
The one main constant on Kansas City's defense during a run of seven straight appearances in the AFC title game has been defensive tackle Chris Jones. While Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have carried the offense, Jones has done the same on the defensive end for the Chiefs, with his knack of creating pressure at key moments playing a crucial role in Kansas City's success. That helped Jones win the honor of being voted the top interior defensive lineman in the league by The Associated Press. A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at interior defensive line, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2, and 1 points. Jones got seven of the eight first-place votes to go with one second to win the voting easily. Two other players were on all eight ballots, with Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants getting the other first-place vote to come in second and Philadelphia's Jalen Carter finishing third. Pittsburgh's Cam Heyward finished fourth, and Quinnen Williams of the Jets came in fifth. Seattle's Leonard Williams, Tennessee's Jeffery Simmons, Denver's Zach Allen, and Carolina's Derrick Brown also received votes. 1. CHRIS JONES, Kansas City Chiefs: Jones's sack total of five last season was his lowest since his rookie season in 2016, but he still earned his third straight All-Pro selection after finishing second among all interior defensive linemen with 74 pressures in the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus. Jones's 72 sacks over the past seven seasons rank tied for fifth overall in that span and tied with Aaron Donald for the most among interior linemen. 2. DEXTER LAWRENCE, New York Giants: While most of the other players who got votes at interior defensive line are 3 technique tackles who line up on the outside shoulder of the guards, Lawrence mostly plays nose tackle directly over the center. Those players are typically run stoppers since it is easier to double-team them in the pass game, but Lawrence thrives at both. He had a career-high nine sacks in 12 games last season, and his 103 pressures when lined up as a nose tackle the past three seasons are 80 more than any other player, according to PFF. 3. JALEN CARTER, Philadelphia Eagles: Carter was the anchor of Philadelphia's Super Bowl-winning defense last season. He has 10 1/2 sacks and 102 total pressures in the regular season in his first two years, according to PFF, and helps free up the edge rushers for the Eagles because he warrants so many double teams. 4. CAM HEYWARD, Pittsburgh Steelers: Heyward has shown no signs of aging as heads into this season at age 36. He had eight sacks last season when he earned his fourth first-team All-Pro selection. He has 63 1/2 sacks and 91 tackles for loss in the past eight seasons, earning Pro Bowl bids in seven of them. 5. QUINNEN WILLIAMS, New York Jets: Williams's production dipped last season as the Jets' defense struggled overall, but he has been a consistent performer since being drafted third overall in 2019. He still has 176 pressures and 23 1/2 sacks the past three seasons.