qq. REID RAGES: Andy Reid ROASTS $158.75M DT Chris Jones-“EFFORT IS NON-NEGOTIABLE!” Locker room TURMOIL as Chiefs Kingdom holds breath!
Jacksonville — A single snap at the 1-yard line pushed the Kansas City Chiefs into the eye of a storm. After Trevor Lawrence stumbled, popped back up, and scrambled into the end zone for the game-winner, Chris Jones—Kansas City’s All-Pro interior lineman—was seen hesitating for a beat instead of pursuing to the whistle. Postgame, Jones explained he thought “we had him multiple times,” then deactivated his social media amid the backlash.
In a subsequent media availability, head coach Andy Reid did not mince words about effort standards at the goal line:
“You can’t think the guy is down. You can’t think that,” Reid said. “You have to play the play. He knows. He’s been around this a long time. That’s really what it came down to.”
The context only heightens the scrutiny. Through 2025, Jones has endured a rough stretch by his standards: 1 sack, 7 tackles, 4 TFL, and a 57.5 PFF grade—the lowest of his career, ranking 76th of 119 qualifying defensive tackles. That dip contrasts sharply with his résumé as one of the era’s premier DTs: since 2016, 81.5 sacks, 91 tackles for loss, 201 QB hits, six Pro Bowls, and three First-Team All-Pro selections.
From a football standpoint, the controversial snap wasn’t about technique so much as discipline and habit: the cardinal rule to play to the whistle. That’s why Reid’s message reads as a standard for the entire defense, not just Jones—tighten pursuit rules, emphasize finish on short-yardage downs, and eliminate any lapse in the low-red zone where one beat can swing a result.
On a team that sets a championship bar, the line between a split-second pause and a lost game is razor-thin. Reid drew that line in permanent marker: effort is non-negotiable.
