Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones will have his hands full against another top-shelf lineman.
There are matchups galore in the Kansas City Chiefs’ upcoming road game against the Las Vegas Raiders, but one of the most important ones is a face-off at the line of scrimmage that no one is really talking about.
That would be defensive tackle Chris Jones vs. center Tyler Linderbaum, and there’s a lot to love about this matchup. Jone and Linderbaum are both veterans who are at the top of their game, and they’re recognized as both stars and important players by evaluators and executives from around the league.
Jones is still a formidable player, but there are legitimate questions about whether the 32-year old defensive tackle is starting to decline. He has nine tackles and a fumble recovery in three games so far, but he’s also double-teamed constantly.
As Levi Edwards of Raiders.com pointed out, though, his presence helps create opens up opportunities for the edge rushers alongside him. The best example so far is defensive end George Karlaftis, who has has four quarterback hits and a 30 percent pass-rush win rate, per ESPN Analytics.
Jones also has some great numbers against the Raiders. He has 58 total tackles and 13.5 sacks in his career against Las Vegas, per Edwards, although it’s fair to point out that some of those numbers have come against bad Raiders teams that were basically low-hanging fruit for a pass rusher with Jones’ level of talent.
Linderbaum, meanwhile, will also be a tough challenge for Jones. He has a a 93 percent pass blocking win rate, per ESPN Analytics, and his consistency is what makes him great, along with the ability. to recognize what defenses are doing and make the right calls accordingly.
Linderbaum noted that Jones “draws a lot of attention, and he also called the tackle a “disruptive” player. It will be interesting to see if the Raiders try to handle Jones with a one-on-one matchup with Linderbaum, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will also be keeping a close eye on how this plays out as he makes some of his infamous blitz calls.
Spagnuolo also mentioned the possibility of batting down passes to help contain Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins, which is an interesting angle that hasn’t been talked about much. Jones is an expert at doing that, so that may be his hidden contribution this week. It should be a fun battle between two 3-0 rivals as the Chiefs try to determine whether the Raiders are really back or not.
