On Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs made some fans uneasy when defensive tackle Chris Jones was added to the injury report for personal reasons. Although he was not given a game status designation — indicating there was little concern that he would miss Sunday’s 37-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens — the timing of Jones’ arrival at the stadium was very close.
CBS reporter Tracy Wolfson revealed that Jones had left Kansas City on Saturday to attend a funeral for his aunt in Mississippi. With his flight
reported to be scheduled for a 2:40 p.m. (Arrowhead Time) arrival in Kansas City, Jones made it to the stadium just before the game’s 3:25 start time.
Jones was confident it would all work out.
“We had it planned out,” he remarked to reporters after the game. “We had a strategic plan to get here in time for the game.”
Head coach Andy Reid gave credit to senior director of team security Brian Shafur for making the unconventional game day arrival possible.
“You just hope that there’s no mechanical problems to slow the plane down from taking off,” Reid said of the situation, “but he had it all worked out. Brian Shafur did a great job with it, organizing the whole thing and making it work.”
Being around his teammates aided Jones in his grieving.
“It’s tough,” he lamented. “Anytime you lose a loved one — or someone you love and cherish and care about — it’s emotional. Emotions are everywhere. It’s tough. But you know, being around good energy [and] good people? It makes you feel good.”
For Jones, the good feelings extend to the home crowd on Sunday.
“I always feel the love at Arrowhead,” he said. “It’s always a lot of energy — a lot of love and excitement.”
His teammates supported his decision to travel on short notice.
“Those are my brothers,” Jones said of his peers. “I love being around them. I spend 80% of my time with them. We have a long season. [I’m] usually in there on Mondays through Friday most of the time, so we spend a lot of time together. So [they were] very supportive through this whole process.”
He also found support from his head coach.
“He had to do what he had to do,” said Reid. “That’s not something you plan on or anything else. You take care of that first — and the game kind of comes secondary when you start dealing with life and death.”
Ultimately, Jones says playing put him in a better place.
“Early on in the game, [it] kind of weighs heavy on your shoulders,” he admitted, “but football is my escape — where I can escape from the reality of what’s really going on and just have fun. [I can] be like a kid in the backyard playing football again.”
Jones’ teammates rewarded him with a fantastic team effort on Sunday, limiting one of the league’s top offenses. While Jones is happy with the result, he didn’t like the 71-yard rushing touchdown that the Chiefs’ reserve defenders allowed to Ravens running back Justice Hill at the two-minute warning. The score trimmed Kansas City’s lead to only 17 points.
“It was a step forward for us,” said Jones. “Unfortunately, at the end of the game, we gave up a huge run. I think before that, [the Ravens were] under 2.3 [yards per] carry. After that, [they] kind of surpassed that.
“We’ve got to find how to close games — whether it’s the ones, twos or the guys that normally don’t get those high-volume reps.
“We’ve got to close games, but I think we took a step forward as a team — offense, defense and special teams.”
