Chris Jones And Frank Clark Lead Kansas City Chiefs To AFC Championship Win

This year’s 23-20 victory by the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game represented redemption for Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.

On the second day of minicamp in the middle of June, Chris Jones stated how the previous AFC Championship Game loss fueled him.

During Chiefs-Cincinnati Bengals AFC Championship Game Part I last year, Jones couldn’t bring down Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

With last year’s game tied at 21, the Bengals had a 3rd and 7 with 11:45 in the fourth quarter.

Jones grasped Burrow’s shoulder, the quarterback crouched to shrug him off, and then Burrow danced out of Jones’ attempted ankle tackle before scrambling for the first down.

“I missed some of the biggest plays of the game,” Jones said. “(I) used that as motivation the whole offseason. I feel like (if) I would have made those sacks, the game would’ve been different.”

This time it was different.

With 44 seconds left in the Jan. 29, 2023 game and the Bengals facing a 3rd and 8, Jones, who usually plays on the interior, lined up at defensive end and beat right tackle Hakeem Adeniji for his second sack of the game.

That allowed the Chiefs to get the ball back, paving the way for the game-winning field goal drive.

“God is good, man,” Jones said. “It’s like a full 360, right?”

Jones, the Chiefs’ highest paid and best defender, led the team with 15.5 sacks this year.

But even though he has had strong playoff performances before, including three passes defended in Super Bowl LIV, Jones had been maligned for not yet recording a postseason sack.

“I don’t care about stats in the playoffs,” Jones said. “That wasn’t a goal for me.”

Even if it may not have served as motivation for Jones, it was a somewhat relatable situation to his defensive linemate Frank Clark.

To an even greater extent, Clark has been criticized for not living up to expectations after the Chiefs traded for him and signed him to a five-year, $104 million contract, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid edge rushers.

He has yet to have a double-digit sack season for Kansas City. And he has not surpassed five in either of his last two seasons.

But he saved his best for when it mattered most. He set the tone with 1.5 sacks in the first quarter.

“There’s a reason why they brung me here,” Clark said.

On 3rd and 9 on the very first drive of the game, Mike Danna pushed the left guard back, and Clark finished it off with a nine-yard sack of Burrow.

On the next series, he lined up over the Bengals’ strong side and combined with Willie Gay on the sack on 2nd and 7.

Clark’s output was part of three Kansas City sacks in the first quarter when the Chiefs shut out the Bengals.

His postseason success has etched him a place in NFL postseason annals.

Clark has surpassed Terrell Suggs, a contributor on the Chiefs’ last Super Bowl championship team, for the third most sacks in NFL postseason history with 13.5.

“He’s peaking at the right time,” Jones said. “Frank has been playing out of his mind — run game, pass game. He’s doing what’s he’s been doing for years in the playoffs.”

Only Bruce Smith and Willie McGinest have more postseason sacks than Clark, and among all Chiefs, Clark ranks first with five more than Derrick Thomas.

Clark and Jones were two of the keys to victory as the Chiefs took advantage of a Bengals offensive line missing three starters and a raucous Arrowhead Stadium that made it difficult for the offense to communicate.

That helped them sack Burrow five times.

“He’s tough to bring down. He’s quicker than he’s perceived, agile, slithery at times,” Jones said. “He’s definitely a challenge.”

Prior to the game, Jones was asked for his opinion about the Chiefs-Bengals rivalry, which had been heightened by meeting in consecutive AFC Championship Games and Burrow having won three straight against Mahomes.

“A rivalry is when you go back and forth: winning and losing, winning and losing,” Jones said. “We haven’t beaten them yet. So I don’t think you can call it a rivalry yet. That’s kind of farfetched.”

Now, thanks to Jones and Clark, the Chiefs have beaten the Bengals, and it’s officially a rivalry.