KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones flew back from his native Mississippi on Sunday, where he had been attending the funeral of an aunt, and made it to Arrowhead Stadium about 20 minutes before kickoff against the Baltimore
Ravens.
Jones' agents, Jason and Michael Katz, had said the three-time All-Pro planned to play against the Ravens, even though he had been gone the past two days. Jones was added to the injury report Friday with “personal” given as the reason.
Jones boarded a private jet shortly after noon for the flight to Kansas City. There was a police escort waiting to ferry him to the stadium, where the Chiefs were going through their final preparations before facing the Ravens.
The two teams, who met for the AFC title in January 2024, are off to 1-2 starts and desperate to even their record in Week 4.
Jones was born and raised in Houston, Mississippi, a small town in the north-central part of the state. He became a standout at Mississippi State before the Chiefs selected him in the second round of the 2016 draft. Ever since, Jones has been one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the NFL, racking up Pro Bowl selections each of the past six seasons.
He got off to a slow start this season, making just four tackles in losses to the Chargers and Eagles — the later a rematch of the Chiefs' loss in the Super Bowl. But Jones had two quarterback hits and his first sack in last week's win over the Giants.
Jones was expected to play a big role in slowing down Ravens running back Derrick Henry, who has had success against them in the past, and containing quarterback Lamar Jackson, who can hurt teams with both his arm and his legs.
If there was any doubting his availability, Jones would have been made inactive for the game. Instead, the Chiefs made inactive running back Elijah Mitchell, tight end Jared Wiley, wide receiver Jason Brownlee, offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad, defensive end Mike Danna, defensive tackle Brodric Martin and cornerback Kristian Fulton.
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