The Kansas City Chiefs still have championship aspirations, and defensive tackle Chris Jones doesn’t want fans to forget it.
The three-time Super Bowl champion took to Instagram on Monday, November 17, to clap back at haters piling on after the Chiefs’ latest loss, a 22-19 road defeat against the Denver Broncos the day before.
Jones, 31, shared a post from The Hip Hop Lab that shows Kanye West with a screenshot of one of the rapper’s X posts overlaid, reading, “They act like you can’t lose a few games and still win the championship.”
Kansas City’s loss to Denver dropped the reigning AFC champions to 5-5 on the season, making it far from a sure thing that they even qualify for the playoffs. The Chiefs have played in four of the last five Super Bowls, with wins in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
“It’s a tough game, it’s a division game, and you never really feel good after a loss,” Jones told the media after the loss. “That’s a lot of lessons you can learn after a loss. I think for us, most importantly, coming together as a team, self-evaluation’s at an all-time high, sense of urgency’s at an all-time high, and critiquing.”
He continued, “I think we got a bunch of penalties today. So. If we want to win, we kind of can’t beat ourselves. That’s a starting point. But coming together as a team, relying on each other. This moment right here is very pivotal for us as a team to make sure we come as a cohesive unit. It’s so easy to point fingers, especially after a loss, especially when you have so many expectations from everybody else. But most importantly, it’s about what matters in the building, and amongst each other.”
Jones, a career member of the Chiefs, hasn’t performed to the level he usually reaches. Through 10 games this season, he has 15 tackles, seven solo tackles and three sacks — solid numbers, but still pacing well behind his career averages.
But while Jones is staying optimistic, the frustrations may be starting to bubble over in the locker room. Tight end Travis Kelce refused to speak with the media after the loss to Denver, while head coach Andy Reid took a subtle shot at quarterback Patrick Mahomes in his postgame comments.
“We’re calling quite a few of the [run-pass options],” Reid, 67, said when asked why his team ran the ball only 14 times against the Broncos. “Yesterday, they were giving us opportunities to throw the football. So we utilized the opportunities there.”
Reid continued, “The runs are being called. Sometimes they get turned into passes in today’s world. That’s how it goes.”
Mahomes, 30, admitted himself that Sunday was not his best game, telling reporters he has been inconsistent.
“I think we’re really talented and we’ve got a lot of great players, but it’s about being more consistent. I think it starts with me,” he said. “There’s times where I’m firing and we’re moving the ball down the field at ease. But there’s times where we go in spurts where I miss a throw or a [pass] protection call.”
The Chiefs’ next game is at home on Sunday, November 23, against the Indianapolis Colts.
