Kansas City Chiefs: Three bold predictions for defense in 2019
By Kole Berrey
Bold Prediction #1: Chris Jones leads the league in sacks
Do you want some insightful, spot on analysis really quick? Chris Jones is good at football. Shocker, right? Don’t expect that to change in 2019.
I know some are weary that the losses of Justin Houston and Dee Ford will result in more attention to Jones, but that simply isn’t true. Chris Jones was obviously the best Chiefs defender last year. That was no secret to fans watching the game. It also wasn’t a secret to defensive coordinators. Chris Jones was already getting the attention of double teams regardless of who else was on the field.
Last year, Jones had 15.5 sacks, which was third best in the league. He was behind only Aaron Donald and Fletcher Cox in quarterback pressures with 79. Jones also had a sack in an NFL record 11 straight games.
Guess what all of those accolades amounted to?
Nothing.
Jones wasn’t even selected to the Pro-Bowl. From a personal and motivational standpoint, that may just be eating at the man Chiefs fans know as Stone Cold.
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From a pure football sense, there is reason to believe that Jones could add to his sack total. First, understand that having a sack in 11 straight games is absolutely crazy. This means Jones has something that pass rushers covet; consistency. He routinely pressures the quarterback and that means when given the opportunity, he should get home and rack up sacks.
Another thing to consider is that despite talks of regression, the Kansas City Chiefs offense looks to be even BETTER in 2019. The addition of rookie second round pick Mecole Hardman and a healthy Sammy Watkins is huge for this roster. The line is also healthy, with three potential Pro-Bowlers in Fisher, Duvernay-Tardif, and Schwartz returning upfront.
If the Chiefs are going to score in bunches, opposing offenses will have to pass just to keep up. The more passing other teams do, the more pass rush opportunities will be there for guys like Chris Jones.
There is also room for more volume in the fact that Chris Jones only played in 65% of defensive snaps last year. Guys like Anthony Hitchens, Dee Ford and even Allen Bailey saw more plays than Jones. If that number gets closer to that 80% mark, Jones should add a few more sacks alone by sheer volume opportunity.
Lastly. an overlooked change that could contribute to higher sack totals for Jones is the attacking nature of new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. Former DC Bob Sutton often times relied too heavily on sending four players and allowing that players individual talent to win match-ups.
When you have Dee Ford, Justin Houston, and Chris Jones, that isn’t a terrible idea. Spag’s doesn’t operate that way though. He will bring with him a style that utilizes stunts and blitzes to pressure the quarterback. Instead of relying on pure talent to win pass rush snaps, Jones will be schemed open, much like a receiver is schemed open on offense.
Mix that concept in with the fact that Jones is going to be playing alongside stud pass rusher Frank Clark, while Jones himself is in a contract year, you can bet he will be putting up big numbers in 2019.