“Chiefs’ Chris Jones hung around on final play against Jaguars”. He tackled it head-on on Thursday

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones made no excuses after being criticized for not botching his team’s final defensive play during Monday’s 31-28 road loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Replays showed Jones, a six-time Pro Bowl player, on his feet for most of the game as Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence fell twice before regaining his balance to dive into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown.

“It’s a teaching point for me, a little bit of adversity,” Jones said Thursday during his regular media appearance. “I can’t think the play is over, you know what I mean? It’s a learning lesson. I thought it was over. I thought we had depressed him, so I kind of stopped and was about to celebrate, and then I realized he wasn’t depressed. A teaching lesson for me is, ‘Don’t stop.'”

https://twitter.com/Jaguars/status/1975398875159548220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

When asked if he felt the need to tell his teammates about the incident, Jones said no.

“I think they understand that I thought the game was over, and they understand that I’m not giving up,” Jones said. “It was just one of those cases where I thought he was depressed, and I thought we were about to make him depressed again. And, ‘Oh my God, he’s not depressed.’ So they understand – they understand that. This won’t happen again.

Jones also noted that his X and Instagram accounts were deactivated last week. The 10th-year professional said he removed those two days before the match to reduce distractions after consulting with his agents to see if he had any brand sponsorships coming up.

“I’ve never shied away from constructive criticism. I’ve never been that guy. In fact, I’ve always addressed it head-on,” Jones said. “There’s a lot to take away from criticism. It’s like fuel, for me personally.”

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that the teaching point for Jones from the viral clip was to keep playing no matter what.

“You can’t think this guy is depressed. You can’t think that,” Reid said. “You just have to play the part. He knows that. He’s been in this thing a long time. So that’s really what it comes down to.”

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo shared a similar message Thursday, saying it’s a coaching point to tell players, “Never assume.”

“I think the guys just got caught up in the moment, they thought he was depressed. It didn’t work out that way. I think we’re all going to learn from it,” Spagnuolo said. “But we have moved on and I hope this doesn’t happen again.”

Jones, 31, has long been a leader on defense. He said his mission on this play was to be in the B gap on his side, meaning Lawrence’s run went around the edge the other way.

He admitted it was difficult to watch himself on video again.

“Personally, I grade myself differently than how everyone else grades me. So for me, it was tough,” Jones said. “It was like, ‘I had the opportunity,’ you know what I mean? I just thought he was depressed. And it’s my job not to think. It’s my job to finish. I’ll be better at it.”

The Chiefs find themselves in an unfamiliar situation at 2-3 with the Detroit Lions arriving this weekend for a “Sunday Night Football” game.

Jones said he will use Monday night’s situation as a life lesson.

“What I just took away from it: You just have to finish. It’s not like I gave up on anything. I thought he was depressed,” Jones said. “So from now on, I’ll make sure I finish.”