Kansas City Chiefs News

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones is having yet another stellar season in what could be a Hall of Fame career.

Jones was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his two sack performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4 and has already been mentioned to be in consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. The Chiefs gave Jones a 5-year, $158.75 million contract this past offseason.

The Chiefs have relied heavily on Jones for many years now to be a leader on and off the field, a challenge that he has risen to and embraced.

Kansas City certainly would not have three Super Bowl wins over the last five years without his timely playmaking ability. Jones joined the Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday and discussed where he gets his inspiration for closing out close games.

“I listen to a lot of Kobe Bryant,” Jones said. “He talks about in certain moments you view certain things and you can depict what it is. You kind of get an extra boost of energy.

You know, Kobe likes to talk about the fourth quarter. For me, I try to associate the fourth quarter with third downs and fourth downs. Critical situations where that ‘mamba mentality’ come into play for me.”

Kobe Bryant was, of course, nicknamed the “black mamba” for his ability to consistently make clutch plays at the end of games. Jones went on to say that he studies what Bryant’s mindset was during games.

“I liked his approach to the game,” Jones said. “A prime example – Kobe, I think he went like 7-28 (shooting), and he was mad on the bench. His trainer was like, Kobe wasn’t mad that he missed, he was mad because he was trying to figure out why he missed. That’s more so how I am.

Like, why didn’t I get that sack? Or, why didn’t I make that play? So, I’m always listening to Kobe before and after games to critique my mental aspect of the game, and for inspiration also.”

Jones then told Eisen about a “Kobe moment” that he had on the sidelines right before he went in and pressured San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy to throw an incompletion, keeping the Chiefs alive in Super Bowl LVIII.

“I was on the sidelines the play before that,” Jones said. “I was deadbeat tired. (Coach) Andy Reid looked at me and was like, we need you to go in.

And during that moment, I had like a Kobe moment, and it was like Kobe said to rest later, don’t rest now. Rest when you’re done with the process. And I was like, I’ve got to do it.”

Had Jones not disrupted that play, Purdy may very well have thrown a game-winning touchdown pass. That is just one of many examples that we’ve seen of Jones either sealing a victory or keeping his team in the game.

Jones helped seal the Chiefs’ win over the Chargers last week when he sacked quarterback Justin Herbert on a crucial fourth down, which would be the last play of the game for L.A. on offense.