Most important KC Chiefs not named Mahomes in AFC Championship

Patrick Mahomes had a career-defining game after the most memorable KC Chiefs moment in half a century. While the superstar quarterback did everything he could, he was far from the only reason Kansas City is headed to Miami.

Watching Clark Hunt talk about his father next to Jim Nantz on Sunday was nothing short of a Kansas City miracle. As confetti fell down, you could see how relieving it was for everyone involved in the organization. After decades of mediocre play, failure, and incompetency, the Kansas City Chiefs are headed to the Super Bowl, something most fans still cannot fully say, let alone comprehend.

Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins torched the man-to-man coverage of the Titans, Kelce was sprinkled in, Damien Williams looked healthy, and the defense was as advertised. It was as if all of Brett Veach’s moves were spun into a masterpiece.

Internally, all Chiefs fans knew that all signs were pointing to this being the year, yet no one had confidence in a franchise that seems to trip over their own feet one way or another. Who could blame them? In fact, many agreed with the notion that history would repeat itself, but history didn’t repeat itself.

Kansas City handled the Titans on all levels, including bringing Derrick Henry to a screeching halt. While Mahomes painted his own Picasso, there were guys all over the field making plays. Here are the most important Chiefs players from the AFC Championship that will have to be just as good, if not better, in Super Bowl LIV.

A few honorable mentions before we start.

• Defensive tackle Mike Pennel has been a menace against the run and while most Chiefs fans were wondering who he even was, they now know his name due to his fantastic play.
• Sammy Watkins was extremely reliable on Sunday and deserves a shoutout for coming through against a Titans secondary that was doing a lot of talking.
• Safety Daniel Sorensen has been admirable in the absence of Juan Thornhill and he has unexpectedly made plays all over the field. These guys could have been on this list as well.

Number 5 – Defensive Tackle Chris Jones

The mammoth-man inside was on the field for only 42% of the defensive snaps on Sunday, but his presence was extraordinary. He got pressure virtually every time he was on the field and his impact was felt in holding Henry to 69 rushing yards.

There aren’t many defensive players in the NFL that can swing a game like Chris Jones can. In fact, Jones’ availability on Sunday carried a lot of weight as many held off on their predictions to see if he would be active or not. He proved his worth on Sunday in limited snaps and his health going into the 49ers matchup will be vital. Jones is a one of the most important members of the Chiefs defense and he showed Tennessee just how ridiculous he is.

The upcoming free agent also proved how important this offseason will be for Veach to sign him. If Frank Clark is worth almost $64 million guaranteed, Jones should be given all of that and more. Kansas City will extend Mahomes this offseason to the highest contract in NFL history, but they need to make Jones their second priority, even if that means cutting Sammy Watkins to save some money.

Veach cannot let him walk and odds are he knows that.