Going from having to deter Jeffrey Simmons to Chris Jones in back-to-back weeks, there’s no rest for the weary when it comes to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Just like the Tennessee Titans defensive tackle before
him, the Kansas City Chiefs big man in the middle present a big problem for the Silver & Black in this Sunday’s AFC West clash. And to a man, the Raiders not only hold Jones in high regard, but know if the offensive line isn’t up to snuff, it’ll be a long hard day in Arrowhead.
“I mean, we got a good test of it this past week with Jeffrey Simmons. I’ve been playing in this league long enough to know there’s great players everywhere. There’s Hall of Fame players on every team, and Chris Jones is one of them,” quarterback Geno Smith said. “He’s a great competitor. He’s a tough guy in the interior. We know we’re up against, so it’s our job to go out there and make it happen.”
Ditto for Las Vegas offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
“I think sometimes when you have a defensive end, you can slide protection to him or run away from him. But when the guy’s smack-dab in the middle, that makes it really difficult. And Simmons is as good as I saw, and I said that last week. And then not looking forward, and then everybody knows of Chris (Jones) and then the second week to go against one of the top interior defensive lineman league it’s a challenge for all those guys. It’s a challenge for Jordan (Meredith) and JPJ (Jackson Powers-Johnson) and for Dylan (Parham) on the inside there. And it’s really similar to playing Simmons from one week to the next week. You don’t get a little reprieve, so that’s just part of the deal. I mean, he’s a talented football player.”
While Kelly and Smith have their part in trying to mitigate Jones — by play calling, scheme, and adjustments at the line of scrimmage — the trio of Raiders interior lineman that Kelly mentioned above: Meredith (center), Powers-Johnson (right guard), and Parham (left guard) are at the forefront of mitigating the Chiefs disruptive defensive tackle.
While some may scoff at Jones’ statistics through six games of the 2025 season (eight total tackles, four stops for loss, one sack, and seven quarterback hits), the 6-foot-6 and 310-pound 31-year-old is still a must-account-for defender. While the 6-foot-4 and 305-pound Simmons has better stats so far (28 total tackles, eight stops for loss, 4.5 sacks, and 11 quarterback hits), Jones commands just as much attention and has a penchant for disruption, other defenders in Steve Spagnu0lo’s Chiefs defense can make plays. Hence Kansas City’s 11th and 12th rankings in points allowed (124) and yards given up (1,867), respectively.
Like Kelly, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll referenced matching up with Simmons as a good segue for the task of blocking Jones. Simmons did have a solid game against Las Vegas in Week 6 tallying six total tackles, one sack, and two pressures, according to Pro Football Reference. In comparison, someone could look at Jones’ stat line from the Chiefs’ 30-17 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 6 and be dismissive: One tackle, one quarterback hit.
How the Raiders pass and run block, and how effective the trio of interior lineman — heck, alongside left tackle Stone Forsythe and right tackle DJ Glaze — will determine Las Vegas offensive success, or lack of it.
Because unlike the Titans — a team that boasts the 31st ranked scoring offense and helmed by rookie quarterback Cam Ward (sacked a league-leading 25 times) — the Chiefs are captained by quarterback Patrick Mahomes and sport the ninth-ranked scoring offense. Las Vegas will need sustained offensive drives to support its defense combating Mahomes. And in order to do that, the Raiders need to quell Jones and other defenders like defensive ends George Karlaftis III (22 total tackles, 3.5 sacks) and Charles Omenihu (14 total tackles, two sacks), and linebacker Drue Tranquill (30 total tackles, two sacks).
Las Vegas giving the rock to rookie running back Ashton Jeanty (424 yards and three touchdowns on 105 carries) and testing Kansas City’s run defense early and often can help mitigate that. Alongside Smith taking care of the football (league-leading 10 interceptions thrown) and distributing the ball will be equally key.
Quote of Note
“Yeah, we had a protection breakdown. There was a guy coming from his right, so he didn’t have enough time to really set his feet. But we always talk about that. Interceptions aren’t always on the quarterback. They’re on everybody. So, we got to protect it better. We had a miscue of the route, so it was a compilation of a few things. So, besides that, I thought Geno [Smith] played a really clean game, completed almost 75 percent of his passes. Was really efficient throwing the ball, did a nice job, especially getting to his fourth read on a touchdown pass to Mike [Mayer]. So, I was really happy with how Geno played.”
—Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly when asked about quarterback Geno Smith’s league-leading 10th interception against the Tennessee Titans in Week 6
Head-to-head
Sunday’s clash between the Raiders and Chiefs marks the 133rd time the two square off. Kansas City leads the overall series at 75-55-2 (73-54-2 in regular season play, 2-1 in postseason action). The Chiefs are riding a two-game win streak in the series having topped the Raiders in both matchups in 2024 — 27-20 in October and 19-17 in November. Las Vegas should’ve won that November contest but a botched snap from center Jackson Powers-Johnson to quarterback Aidan O’Connell resulted in a fumble that Kansas City recovered with 11 seconds left in the game. The Raiders had 3rd-and-3 from the Chiefs 17-yard line and a Daniel Carlson field goal would’ve gave them a 20-19 victory.
