In the days leading up to the AFC title game, the Cincinnati Bengals poked the Kansas City Chiefs with comments about “Burrowhead.”
Chris Jones and the Chiefs poked back on Sunday night, beating the Bengals 23-20 at Arrowhead Stadium to advance to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years. The Chiefs sacked Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow five times and intercepted him twice, motivated by the “Burrowhead” chatter.
“We’re not a team that talks,” said Jones, Kansas City’s star defensive tackle. “We just go out and play the game respectfully. But don’t ever disrespect Arrowhead Stadium.”
Jones had four tackles, two sacks and five hits on Burrow in a game-changing performance that came one year after Jones let Burrow slip out of his grasp twice in last year’s AFC championship game.
Jones recorded a sack in the first quarter Sunday but his sack on third down late in the fourth gave the Chiefs the ball back, setting up Skyy Moore’s 29-yard punt return followed by Patrick Mahomes driving the team into field goal range, thanks to his legs and a late-hit penalty.
Jones’ teammate Frank Clark had 1.5 sacks on Burrow, and like Jones was in the backfield all night. Chiefs coach Andy Reid marveled at their performance.
“Unbelieve game,” Reid said of Jones. “Along with Frank Clark, constantly in the backfield and busting their tails. What a performance they had.”
Clark even said Jones, who is a finalist for the defensive player of the year award, proved he is in a class by himself.
“He set the tone and finished the game,” Clark said. “Chris Jones did his thing. The most unstoppable man in football.”
Ironically, Jones had never recorded a sack in the playoffs until Sunday. But he said that didn’t bother him.
“I personally do not care about stats in the playoffs,” Jones said. “My job is to make sure that I play hard, play physical, set a different style at the line of scrimmage and make my teammates around me make plays.
“And that’s whether it’s taking a double team the whole game or getting a one-on-one and winning. I think you guys actually blow it out of proportion. It don’t really matter to me. But I’m fortunate you guys can have another story that Chris Jones finally got a sack,” he said laughing.
As champions of the AFC, Jones and the Chiefs will play the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Ariz., at State Farm Stadium, the place the Chiefs started the season with a win against the Cardinals. And now they hope to finish it there with a title.
“We got a challenge ahead of us against a heck of a team,” Jones said. “So we’re looking forward to preparing for those guys and playing in the Super Bowl. We’re back, baby! We’re back.”
