KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chris Jones isn’t so sure he didn’t get four sacks Sunday during the Kansas City Chiefs’ lopsided win against the Dallas Cowboys on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
On a third down near midfield midway through the fourth quarter, Jones blew up Dallas’ offensive line, as he did all night and wrestled quarterback Dak Prescott to the turf.
Officially, Jones, who had tied his career high with a third sack earlier in the quarter, was credited with a half-sack. Defensive tackle Jarran Reed got the other half.
“What are we doing?” Jones said. “We’ve got to talk to the guys upstairs. Listen, I love Jarran, but I think I had four (sacks).”
He said the NFL should watch the film and make sure Jones shouldn’t get full credit for the sack.
“If he earned it, I’m all for giving it to him, but I think I had four,” Jones said. “Either way, I’ll accept the three-and-a-half, but we can check the tape again. Let’s look at it again and make sure.”
While Jones may not be sure about his sack total, he is positive that beating up the Cowboys to help send the Chiefs into the bye week on a four-game winning streak was a blast.
“It’s fun — football is fun, winning is fun,” Jones said.
He credited coverage in the secondary for making Prescott hold onto the ball and his defensive line teammates — including end Frank Clark, whose first-quarter strip-sack helped set the tone — for allowing him to have a big day.
Kansas City moved Jones to defensive end during the offseason. He had some struggles, especially containing the edge against Cleveland and Baltimore, before a wrist injury slowed his progress with the transition.
Jones started working back inside more, where he’s emerged as a Pro Bowler and one of the top pass-rushing defensive tackles during his NFL career.
The addition of Melvin Ingram has allowed defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to keep Jones inside even more in recent weeks, which is where his sacks have come from.
“He’s good either place,” Reid said. “He’s a good football, so either place, if he gears it up he’s tough to stop.”
Jones also scooped up a first-quarter fumble after defensive end Frank Clark came unblocked and blindsided Prescott for the first of five sacks the Chiefs’ defense racked up on the day.
“I was trying to take it in,” Jones said. “I don’t think a big man has done it in a while. The back-end guys, they’ll take it in. They’re very fast and quick, but I was looking to get a big-guy celebration.”
Jones has talked in the past about wanting to lead the league in sacks, which is a goal every season, or be the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year.
But especially after the defense struggled from the gate, allowing 29 points or more in each of the first five games, his goal is more team-oriented for 2021 — “doing whatever I can to help this defense succeed,” he said.
He did plenty to help Kansas City dominate against Dallas, finishing with five tackles, two tackles for loss, a pass defended and a forced fumble in addition to all the sacks and the fumble recovery.
