Chris Jones was the MVP of the AFC Championship for the Chiefs

While Mahomes was the main storyline, Jones played the most dominant defensive game I've ever seen to send Cincinnati home.

I’ve never seen anything like it.

What’s fascinating is that introduction could be about several facets of the Chiefs’ victory over the Bengals in the AFC Championship. I could be talking about Patrick Mahomes playing on a sprained ankle and still being the the best quarterback in the league. I could be talking about Travis Kelce making play after play at 33 years old despite Cincinnati gunning for him. Heck, I could be talking about Kansas City’s multitude of rookies showing out in the biggest game of their lives.

But I’m not. I’m talking about Chris Jones and the greatest individual defensive game I’ve ever seen.

I’ve written about Jones multiple times this season. At 28 years old, he’s at the apex of his powers and has been a game-altering force of nature, continually closing out wins for the Chiefs with clutch plays against opposing quarterbacks. He’s been near the top of the conversation for defensive player of the year, and for good reason.

But even for Jones’ own lofty standards, Sunday night was different. While Jones has plenty of excellent playoff performances under his belt (contrary to the opinion of a small but vocal minority), what happened Sunday night was like nothing I’d ever seen. In a game where the opposing offense dedicated an unusual amount of resources to stop him (we’ll get to that), Jones still took the game over multiple times.

On a night the Chiefs needed every stop they could get, Jones ended drives on his own, and his presence helped end several others. And in between those drive-ending moments was an almost relentless tide of pressure that altered the course of the game.

I went back and charted every snap by Jones against the Bengals, tallying pass rush wins/losses, neutral snaps, pressures/hits/sacks, stuffs, and effective double teams. And what I found in the end was the best game I’ve ever seen Jones play despite Cincinnati dedicating most of their attention towards him.

The performance by Mahomes will be talked about for years, and it should be. But against the Bengals, Jones was the most valuable player on the field. Let’s talk about how Jones altered the course of the game in ways that were obvious and not so obvious.