Chiefs DT Chris Jones
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Chiefs DT Chris Jones was under late-game scrutiny in Week 1.
It didn’t take long for the Kansas City Chiefs to get served up some humble pie. The conference’s best team for years running suffered a heartbreaking in-division loss to kick off the 2025-26 season.
Friday’s 27-21 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers came with its fair share of tough moments. Uncharacteristic for an Andy Reid-coached team, multiple players were either unfocused or let their emotions get the best of them. A late-game sequence involving defensive tackle Chris Jones and linebacker Drue Tranquill was perhaps the best example.
Jones had a lapse in discipline on a late third-and-14 play, which sealed the game. Tranquill made sure he heard about it afterwards.
Chris Jones Takes High Road Following Late-Game Explosion From Drue Tranquill
After the game, Jones explained what went wrong.
“The tackle jumped me,” Jones said. “I think we were even — two 3s and two 5s. And just should have stayed outside. I blame me. Could have pass rushed better, could have had a better pass rush, could have contained better. I blame myself.”
Is the heated exchange with Tranquill anything to worry about? Jones took the high road, dismissing the situation.
“No comment,” Jones said.
Contrary to what many have grown accustomed to, the Chiefs’ defense struggled immensely on Friday. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert diced the unit up, completing 25 of 34 passes for 318 yards and 3 touchdowns. Los Angeles went 7-for-13 (54%) on third down, including the aforementioned dagger in question.
In his postgame media availability, Reid alluded to his team needing more — or perhaps better-allocated — energy. Jones seemed to agree with that sentiment.
“I think it’s more so overall,” Jones said. “We are a high-energy team. We’ve got to go in every game playing like it’s a Super Bowl. Anytime teams play the Chiefs, it’s an opportunity to play a Super Bowl-caliber team and you get to see where your team is at. I think we were kind of flat early on. We’ve got to start off a little faster as a team.
Tranquill’s Thoughts Shouldn’t Make Chiefs Worry Even a Bit
Fortunately for the Chiefs, emotions boiling over doesn’t seem to be anything to worry about. It truly is a part of the game, especially for a team with championship expectations. Consider this: Removing Week 18 against the Denver Broncos when starters rested, Kansas City lost just one game last regular season. They were in a position like this just once all year long.
They were also riding a seven-game winning streak against the Chargers coming into Week 1. That, paired with extensive travel, a prime-time environment, the division rival component and the nature of a close game, can foster frustration. No one should be surprised that things weren’t peachy late in the game.
Following Friday night’s contest, Jesse Newell of The Athletic asked Tranquill for his perspective. The veteran linebacker, like Jones, isn’t even a bit concerned. These things happen.
Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill on late sideline incident with Chris Jones: "Chris is a great player. I'm not sure what happened. I haven't seen the tape over there. But we're teammates, man. We’re brothers. It’s just an emotional moment. We’ve had it before in the past. That's my guy.…
— Jesse Newell (@jessenewell) September 6, 2025
“Chris is a great player,” Tranquill said, per Newell. “I’m not sure what happened. I haven’t seen the tape over there. But we’re teammates, man. We’re brothers. It’s just an emotional moment. We’ve had it before in the past. That’s my guy. We’ll be all right. We’ll get better from it.”
The Chiefs’ chemistry will be put to the test even more soon. Week 2 brings a matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, marking the first time the two teams have seen each other since Super Bowl LIX on February 9.