Chris Jones, once again, was the Chiefs closer in the Super Bowl

If this was the last hurrah for the superstar pass rusher, what a farewell it was.

If this is goodbye, then it was one of the greatest goodbyes I can remember.

For years, I’ve written about Chris Jones. First at SB Nation, then at The Athletic, then here. I’ve written about his growth as a player from “better than a rookie should be” to “high level pass rusher” to “dominant force and closer.” A simple search of this site’s history shows his name coming up time and again. Which makes sense, because that’s how great players should be covered. And make no mistake, Chris Jones is a GREAT player.

Of all the things I’ve written about Jones, I think the most important were the several different pieces I wrote about him being a “closer” for the Chiefs. He’s the one who finishes games, prevents comebacks, and slams the door shut. He’s done it so many times that I’ve written about it on more than one occasion (here, and here, and here, and I think you get the point). Time after time, year after year, when the Chiefs have needed a big play on defense in a big moment, Jones has been the guy to provide it with more consistency than any other player in the NFL. Whether it’s a regular season game or, say, the Chiefs first Super Bowl win in 50 years, Jones has been the guy who closes out the win for Kansas City.

And now… it might be over.

We don’t know what the next month and a half will bring. What we do know is that Jones and the Chiefs weren’t able to reach an extension agreement last offseason, that it was a pretty tough negotiation, and that they finally reached a compromise of sorts (one I think did a disservice to Jones from his representation’s side, but I digress) so that the 2023 season could go on. And thank goodness they did, as the Chiefs’ dominant defense was built around Jones and an incredible secondary, a combination that ultimately won them the Super Bowl.

But yes, Jones may not be in a Chiefs uniform next season. And just saying that bums me out. We’ve been watching Jones in a Chiefs uniform for nearly a decade now (It’s been 8 years since he was drafted in the 2nd round). And seeing him grow into the force he’s become, a player with a legitimate Hall of Fame argument and in the conversation with “all time” greatest players for the Chiefs… it’s odd to think that it could end.

But if that was it, if Super Bowl LVIII was the last ride… what a ride it was. And it’s somehow appropriate that Jones’ (maybe) final performance with the Chiefs was another one in which he showed the importance of having a closer, as well as the way a defensive player can help dominate a game in a way that doesn’t show up on the stats sheet. Just like he’s done dozens of times over the last 8 years.

So let’s talk one more time (hopefully not the last) about Chris Jones, the closer, whose heroics helped propel the Chiefs into their dynasty.

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I think in order to understand the importance of Jones in the Super Bowl, you need to first keep in mind the context of this game. Here’s how the Chiefs’ first nine drives went: Punt, punt, fumble, punt, field goal, interception, punt, field goal, punt.

That is a disaster against a terrific San Francisco offense, and had you told most Chiefs fans that’s how the game would go, there would be an assumption that the Chiefs would be in a rather large hole. Instead, they were still only down a single score after all that. And what that meant was when the 49ers made a crucial mistake (the botched punt that a blocker touched and the Chiefs recovered), Kansas City was still in the game with a chance to take the lead.

We have to keep that in mind, because the heroics of the 4th quarter and overtime don’t matter if you’re down 20 by then. And Jones, as much as any defender, was a huge part of why the Chiefs were NOT trailing big despite the offense taking most of the game to get going. Just his presence forced the 49ers into decisions they didn’t want to make and affected the game in ways that (you’ve heard this before) will never show up in the box score.

For example, on the 49ers’ second drive of the game, they found themselves facing 3rd and long. Jones was aligned across from the OT, with Karlaftis lined up wide. This makes it extremely difficult for the center’s slide to help the guard who is matched up against Jones, and the reason that matters is he’s one of the few DT’s on earth who can win by attacking either gap of a guard.

Most DT’s can’t win to the outside gap of a guard because they lack the explosiveness. For Jones, that’s not a problem.

The hand placement here is a thing of beauty, swatting aside the attempted punch by the RG. And Jones then shows off that unique explosion and cornering for a guy who weighs 300+ pounds, which allows him to have a good angle on the center trying desperately to help. The ball has to come out NOW (and hey, shout out to Tershawn Wharton as well).

And the 49ers know the ball has to come out. So they’ve designed a throw well short of the sticks that has potential blockers (we’ve seen Andy utilize a similar design) that doesn’t have much of a chance of succeeding. That play call is a direct reflection of “we know we can’t block this guy and take a shot down the field,” which is consistent with a lot of San Francisco’s play calling Sunday. Whenever they wanted to take a shot, they almost always had to utilize some sort of movement to try and keep Jones away from Purdy. Which limited their options for those calls.

That’s the sort of game-wrecking we don’t hear enough about but is still wildly impactful; Limiting your opponent’s options for play calls in tough spots.

Another thing great players do? They help you recover from a disaster. Remember Pacheco’s fumble early in the 2nd quarter that robbed the Chiefs of a red zone possession and took away their best play of the game? That could have spelled disaster for Kansas City, who had seen nearly everything go wrong. But Jones, with the rest of the defense, just refused to give any ground. On 2nd and 9 the Niners tried to stretch out the Chiefs defense and Jones, as he does at times, took over the play.

Watch him come form the backside of the play here and just discard the blocker assigned to him.

Jones is such a physical freak that his technique doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. Keep an eye on that left arm. Jones ID’s the play, keeps his distance to avoid getting hung up on the block, and then delivers a SWAT (it’s so powerful it sends the OL stumbling forward, so it felt like all-caps were appropriate there) to free himself up. He then gets down the line in a hurry and drags McCaffery to the ground before the potential cutback lane can even be considered (check out Sneed setting the edge vs Trent Williams… phew).

Again, this just shows up as a tackle on the stats sheet. But when you look at the situation (the Chiefs offense struggling, the defense hanging on by a thread), it’s a massive swing for Kansas City. Instead of 3rd and manageable, it’s 3rd and long and yet another punt is forced. And the potential disaster following Pacheco’s fumble is averted.

I suppose it’s worth noting on the 3rd and 9 that followed, Jones was one of the reasons Purdy bailed out of the pocket and was eventually sacked by Karlaftis and Justin Reid. And again, that’s something that has to be considered when looking at impact. On multiple plays throughout the game, it Jones was able to win just enough towards Purdy to get him to move in the pocket or bail entirely.

The first drive of the 2nd half was a good example. The Chiefs offense was continuing to struggle, with Mahomes throwing a rough pick and the Niners appearing to be (again) on the verge of blowing the game open. A terrific Spags pressure (shout out to Leo Chenal, who I’ll be writing about later!) and coverage snap by McDuffie (same, he and Sneed will get looked at) later, and the Niners were again stuck in 3rd down.

This time, Spags opted not to send pressure, deciding instead to rush 3 and have Willie Gay Jr. spy. This was a terrific changeup and a reflection of how Purdy was able to make plays with his legs in the NFC Championship. THe basic idea in this scenario is to crush the pocket and hopefully get Purdy to bail.

And that’s exactly what Jones does, even with the RG coming to help.

Jones rocks the RT back multiple yards and starts to push him into Purdy’s lap. The RG comes to help but isn’t able to completely knock Jones aside (his balance through contact is absurd). That means he’s got a lane to continue to try and push towards Purdy, with the RT now turned to the side and off-balance. It’s enough to convince Purdy to flee towards what he thinks is green grass… except Gay is one of the fastest linebackers in the league and runs him down.

This entire design works because Jones is able to spook Purdy out of the pocket, and it’s a great example of affecting a play where even advanced stats like pressures might not show it. They can call a “rush 3, spy 1” scenario because they know Jones can still do enough to convince the QB to bail out. And again, a disaster is averted following a turnover.

The very next 49ers drive (following yet another Chiefs punt), Jones decided to mix things up by blowing it up on 1st down rather than 2nd or 3rd down.

The Niners are trying a hard play action bootleg here, and Jones absolutely destroys it before it can even get going through recognition, strength, and closing speed. He’s on Purdy the second the QB’s turn is completed and there’s absolutely no time to survey the field. To Purdy’s credit, he’s able to shake Jones initially, but Jones doesn’t lose his feet and and recovers to pursue while Karlaftis (whose blocker has released him as part of the design) closes as well.

Purdy makes a panicked throw hoping that the receiver can make a play, but it’s too late. Chenal has seen it developing and, knowing the ball has to come out immediately, can drive on the receiver and hit him as soon as the ball arrives. It’s an 8-yard loss that dooms this drive before it can really get going, and it starts with Jones.

Jones was an ever-present menace throughout the game for the 49ers, affecting important drive after important drive, and helping (along with SO MANY other strong performances by different defensive players and Spags) keep the Chiefs in the game while Reid and Mahomes figured things out. And it was from beginning until, well, the end.

You know what happened. Overtime. 3rd and 4. The Niners have managed to drive to the red zone but need a touchdown desperately to try and keep Mahomes from ripping their heart out when he got the ball back.

And then of course, Chris Jones.

Look, I’m not going to pretend this was Jones’s best (or second best, or third best, etc) pass rush of the game. The reality is the 49ers blew their protection here and somehow, inexplicably, left one of the best pass rushers alive uncovered. It’s worth noting that Justin Reid is so surprised by the sea of blockers essentially parting for him and Jones that he hesitates.

You know who doesn’t hesitate? Jones. He doesn’t care why the only impediment to the QB is a single arm (easily brushed aside) of the RG. It doesn’t matter why, really. All that matters is that it’s just him and the quarterback, and he closes with a speed that is legitimately, genuinely frightening.

Brock Purdy has to toss the ball away without even bothering to aim, and I can’t blame him. Look at how quickly Jones is on him, closing the distance with a pair of massive steps and stretching out his arms.

It may sound weird, but I love that Purdy’s face/helmet is obscured by this view. It’s fitting, somehow, because he’s irrelevant to this play now. It doesn’t matter who he is. He could be any quarterback in the world (except maybe the one who resides in Kansas City), and this play is over. And regardless of how we got there, it’s over because of Chris Jones.

The Niners kick a field goal, Mahomes does what he does, and the Chiefs are champions of the world. And it never happens without Chris Jones. Just like last year’s Super Bowl never happens without Chris Jones dominating the AFC Championship to get them there. Just like Super Bowl LIV maybe goes a different way without Jones knocking down multiple crucial passes in the 4th quarter. And just like so many other games of this era would have gone differently if it weren’t for Jones being there to ensure they didn’t.

I hate writing about endings, especially if we don’t know if it’s the end. My sincere hope is that Brett Veach figures out a way to keep both Jones and Sneed, knowing that they are foundational guys you can build a defense around. We’ll see. I don’t like thinking about it, because watching and writing about Chris Jones has been one of the best parts of this job for the last 8 years (I just realized I’ve been writing about Jones longer than my youngest, who is 7, has been alive. Man…).

But if this is it, if this is how it ends for Jones in Kansas City, I genuinely cannot think of a better one. One last game to dominate outside of the box score. One last desperate situation to save. One last third down. One last time to close.

If this is it, that image is how I’ll remember Jones as a Chief. Sprinting towards the quarterback, arms up, inescapable, destroying a play’s chance to succeed before it even gets going. And doing it at the absolute most important time of the game.

The greatest players show up in the biggest moments. And Jones belongs right up there with Mahomes and Kelce as a foundational piece of the dynasty that they’ve built. If this is it, that should be his legacy in Kansas City. He was the driving force on the defensive side of the ball during the greatest period this franchise has ever seen. And he looked like he was having a blast while doing it.

I hope to see Jones back next year. But if not, what a finish to his time in Kansas City. And I suppose that shouldn’t surprise any of us.

After all, Chris Jones is a closer. That’s just what he does.