Just when it looked like the Kansas City Chiefs were heading into Monday Night Football relatively healthy, one name suddenly appeared on Friday’s injury report that no Chiefs fan wanted to see:
Chris Jones.
The Chiefs’ star defensive tackle was listed as a limited participant Friday because of a calf injury after not appearing on Thursday’s injury report.
With Kansas City preparing to open the season against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night, that immediately becomes one of the biggest stories to watch over the weekend.
But before we start imagining the Chiefs taking the field without No. 95, there are a couple of reasons not to hit the panic button just yet.
The Good News: Jones Still Practiced
There is a big difference between being limited in practice and not practicing at all.
Jones participated Friday, even if his workload was reduced. We also don’t yet know exactly when the calf issue occurred or how serious it is.
The timing is certainly interesting. Jones was not listed on Thursday’s injury report and was a limited participant Friday.
That makes Saturday’s practice and the Chiefs’ final game-status designation extremely important.
If Jones practices again—even on a limited basis—I’ll feel considerably better about his chances of playing Monday night.
If he doesn’t practice?
Then my concern level goes up significantly.
Why Chris Jones Matters So Much Against Denver
There are certain players on an NFL roster who simply cannot be replaced by inserting the next guy on the depth chart.
Chris Jones is one of them.
Kansas City’s entire defensive front becomes more dangerous when Jones is in the middle because opposing offensive lines have to account for him on virtually every snap.
Double-team him and somebody else gets a favorable matchup.
Block him one-on-one and you’re taking your chances against one of the best interior defensive linemen of his generation.
And against Denver, that pressure could be especially important.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is exactly the kind of quarterback Steve Spagnuolo would like to make uncomfortable early. Interior pressure has a way of destroying the timing of an offense before plays ever have a chance to develop.
Jones doesn’t even need to record sacks to impact the game.
Collapse the pocket.
Force Nix to move.
Make Denver alter its protections.
Create opportunities for Kansas City’s edge rushers.
That’s the Chris Jones effect.
Take him out of the equation and Spagnuolo suddenly has to manufacture some of that disruption through scheme rather than simply having No. 95 wreck things in the middle.
There Are Other Injuries Worth Watching
Jones isn’t Kansas City’s only concern heading into Monday night.
Left tackle Josh Simmons missed both Thursday and Friday practices because of a back injury, while defensive back Chamarri Conner also missed both practices with a knee injury.
Those situations may actually be more concerning at the moment because neither player was able to participate Friday.
The encouraging news is that several other Chiefs carrying injury designations have been full participants, including Patrick Mahomes, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Trey Smith and L’Jarius Sneed.
So while the injury report looks fairly long on paper, most of those names appear to be trending in the right direction.
Jones is different simply because his injury appeared unexpectedly.
My Take
Am I worried?
A little.
Am I panicking?
Not yet.
If Chris Jones had completely missed Friday’s practice after suddenly appearing with a calf injury, I would be considerably more concerned.
The fact that he was still able to participate—even in a limited capacity—is at least encouraging.
But calf injuries are also something I never like seeing with big defensive linemen. Jones relies on explosion, leverage and the ability to drive through offensive linemen. Even a relatively minor calf problem could potentially affect that explosiveness.
And this isn’t exactly the opponent where I’d like Kansas City testing how well the defense functions without him.
Denver is no longer a team the Chiefs can simply assume they’re going to beat because Patrick Mahomes is on the other sideline.
This is an AFC West game. It’s the season opener. It’s Monday Night Football. And Denver comes into Arrowhead expecting to compete.
I want Chris Jones standing in the middle of that Chiefs defensive line when it happens.
Saturday Becomes Very Important
By the time Kansas City releases its final injury report, we should have a much better idea of what we’re dealing with.
If Jones practices and receives no game designation, Chiefs Kingdom can probably exhale.
If he’s listed as questionable, the waiting game continues.
And if he doesn’t practice Saturday, we may have a legitimate Week 1 concern on our hands.
For now, I’m putting this firmly in the “keep a very close eye on it” category.
Because there are plenty of players the Chiefs could probably survive being without for one game.
Chris Jones isn’t one of the players I want to find out about.
What do you think?
How concerned are you about Chris Jones’ calf injury?
Do you think the Chiefs can still control Denver’s offense if Jones is limited—or even unavailable—Monday night?
Let me know your take.
Go Chiefs!
Source: This post discusses reporting from The Kansas City Star regarding Chris Jones being added to Kansas City’s injury report, along with the Kansas City Chiefs’ official Week 1 injury report.
