Chiefs Have A Big Problem On Defense With Their Big Star

The Kansas City Chiefs have some obvious problems to fix after their 20-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, and most of the focus has been on the issue with the offensive line and the wide receivers. But there are other issues as well, and one of the hidden ones has been about defensive tackle Chris Jones and his lack of production, with Jesse Newell of The Athletic taking a closer look at what’s doing on.  

Other players have stepped up, for starters. The Chiefs added Mansoor Delane at cornerback in the draft and promoted Nohl Williams to a starting role, and both have been excellent in coverage, per Newell, although Delane did get exposed slightly by Jaxon Smith-Njigba on Sunday. 

George Karlaftis is also playing well. The defenisve end is healthy, and he’s having what the writer called a career year in pressures and quarterback hits. Edge rusher R Mason Thomas has flashed early in his rookie year, and defensive end Ashton Gillotte is starting play well. 

That leaves Jones. The problem, as Newell noted, is that the Chiefs defense has been playing well in spite of the defensive tackle, not because of him. 

It’s becoming more noticeable, too. The writer offered some advanced stats, including one that had Jones’ pressure rate dropping from 10.6 percent last season to 7.3 percent this year, and that ranks 66th among 93 qualified defensive linemen.Pro Football Focus (PFF), meanwhile, has Jones’ defensive grade dropping from 90.2 in 2024 to 70.5 in 2025 to 57.0 this season.

Even worse, Jones was all but invisible against the Seahawks. He posted one pressure in 45 snaps and had a 36.1 PFF defensive grade. Jones also failed to chase down Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold in the second quarter on a QB scramble, leading to one of Seattle’s 11 third-down conversions.

Jones has been on the injury report with a calf injury, so that accounts for some of his poor production, but we’re approaching the middle of the season when everyone is banged up. 

The defensive tackle knows he has 0.5 sacks so far this season, but he says it’s about how you finish, not how you start. That’s a cliche, and it would be nice if Jones had more to offer on his struggles. 

Unfortunately, there are no remedies here, as Newell noted. The Chiefs gambled on Jones bouncing back after a tough season, but the league’s top-paid tackle isn’t playing well, so the Chiefs just have to hope the tackle can turn things around soon.