Moments after Justin Herbert had rushed for a game-clinching first down, cameras panned to find the Kansas City Chiefs defense in the middle of an altercation. Chris Jones was visibly angry at the play and let Drew Tranquill have it over the blown play. The one issue was the fact that it was Jones' mistake that caused the lane to open up to give Herbert room to run for the first down. Chris Jones lined up on the outside edge but shifted, thinking he saw something.
Whatever caused the defender to shift to the inside allowed Herbert the room to convert the impossible down and give the Chargers the win. It was a frustrating moment that boiled over in blame-deflecting from a great player. Whether it is Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, or any great athlete, there is going to be a level of fire and frustration anytime things don't go as planned.
Chiefs Defender Chris Jones Clearly in the Wrong After Late Costly Decision
A report emerged from The Athletic's Jesse Newell not only about Kansas City's failure but how it was not on Tranquill who caught Jones' frustration at the end of the play. All while the linebacker was toughing it out through an injury, playing well over 50 snaps on the night. It was a difficult atmosphere and the Kansas City defender left everything out on the field.
Jones is going to realize this once cooler heads prevail and make it right with the defender. Nick Bolton wisely stepped in during the heat of the moment and pushed the two players apart, keeping things from boiling over. Tranquill had this to say when asked about the situation during postgame interviews:
"Emotions are just high, We’re all competitive. We all want to win. And so we were just discussing what happened on the play, and emotions were just high."Drew Tranquill
The Chiefs defender took it in stride and wasn't taking any shots at Jones. This is the right approach for a legendary Chief who is one of the few constants through the dynastic run. The defender made a rare mistake and called out the wrong player in the heat of the moment.
Greatness requires not only this energy but accountability, leaving no question that Jones will learn from the mistake and put it into Sunday's pivotal Super Bowl rematch. So often, Jones has been the savvy veteran cleaning up another player's mistake and making a winning play.
Jones simply cannot be blamed for a rare mistake and having a tough reaction after. There should be a level of understanding from Kansas City fans that the big man is going to make up for it when the games matter most.
Whether it is chasing Joe Burrow down to help win a Super Bowl or finding ways to stop the run and force mistakes, there are endless examples of Jones making winning plays. It was a bad moment that shouldn't be paid too much attention to for a proven winner.