KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City defensive tackle Chris Jones spoke from the podium after the Chiefs’ 23-20 overtime win over Indianapolis on Sunday.
To view his full press conference, watch and read below:
On getting the crowd into the game in the fourth quarter, down 20-9:
“Yeah, it was a critical point in the game. We were backed up. Well, they were backed up. They just had created a turnover. Kareem fumbled, and for me, it's just about keeping the fans in tune, giving that momentum, making it loud, creating chaos. And also, it energizes the defense. I think energy is contagious, so you got to continue to promote it, especially critical moments like the end of the game.”
On holding Jonathan Taylor to 58 yards:
“I kind of knew it was gonna happen. If you look at the track record throughout the year, the running backs we played, nobody busted 100 yards over us. I think we had one runner who had 100 yards over us (James Cook on Nov. 2). But as in stopping the run, we were committed to stopping the run, and then we were able to get after the quarterback.”
jonathan taylor, leo chena
Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal (54) tackles Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) in the first quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
On wanting to win by a wider margin, but still finding a way to get the victory:
“A win is a win, and we'll take it. Winning in this league is so tough, and especially when you play those type of caliber teams that you may see in February. It's tough, and the margin for error is like that (pinching gesture). So, we were able to pull off a good win against a great team today. And look at film, move forward. We got a tough team coming up Thursday in Dallas.”
On continuing to fight, even when the Colts seemed like they were pulling away:
“I mean, momentum is high, man. It's a sense of urgency in the building, especially where we want to go as a team. I think everyone feels that. Everyone knows that. And for us, it's about continue to keep each other going.”
chris jone
Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) runs against Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) in the second quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
On whether he viewed Sunday as a must-win game, considering the standings:
“We were sitting at 5-5, we got seven games left. The top team of our division (Denver) is like 9-2, right? So, I think it's a must-win because if we lose this game, we go to 5-6. Playoff chances are at 23 percent. Then, we got a tough schedule coming up. So, I think this was a must-win game. I think we got to take it like that throughout the end of the season as a team. These games are important for seeding, also for securing that spot in the playoffs.”
On stopping Taylor on third-and-1 in overtime, whether they saw something that tipped them off:
“I can't really spill too much on our defense. But Spags (Steve Spagnuolo) does a really, really good job of moving us around and getting me in spaces to make plays. We, just for us today, we executed at a high level, all phases of the defense. Gave up a few big runs, but it's okay.”
chris jone
Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) reacts in the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
On generating crowd noise when down 20-9 in the fourth quarter:
“Well, that's a momentum shifter, especially when a turnover is created (Hunt’s fumble). Everyone is kind of looking like, ‘What's going on?’ and the crowd. Keeping everyone in tune in the game, and then we as players were able to feed off of that crowd yelling, showing their support. And things tend to happen. Great things tend to happen for us when the crowd, everyone, is hyped.”
On how quickly they have to turn the page to Dallas on Thanksgiving:
“I think, like tonight. I'm going to rest a little bit and watch a little film on Dallas. I'm gonna watch their game. I think they play at like 3:25 or something like that. I'm gonna watch the game so I can get ahead of the schedule. And we come in tomorrow, watch a little more football and prepare for Dallas.”
dak prescot
Nov 23, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) reacts in the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
On Taylor’s 27-yard run on third-and-1, and whether they were better prepared in a similar situation in overtime:
“So, with that play, it was third-and-short, and the quarterback was under center, and we played sneak defense, as in quarterback sneak. So, everyone was crunching in, and he was able to break away from the outside because he ran into the right and bounced it. So, there's holes in every defense that you run. He was able to find the hole and he was able to break free. But we was playing sneak. We was thinking the quarterback sneak. So, everyone was crunched in.”
On what they learned from that play:
“We didn't play sneak again! I mean, I guess we learned something. That speaks for itself.”
jonathan taylo
Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) runs against Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook (6) in the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
On how he demonstrated leadership in this game:
“I think for me, personally, I got to show up the rest of these games, and playoff counting. I'm my biggest critic. For me, I was able to take some time off during the bye week, self-evaluation, what I could do better and what I have been doing. Self-evaluate myself and see what I can do better. And for me, it's about taking it to practice and transitioning to the game.”
On Patrick Mahomes saying this was exactly the type of win they needed:
“Well, I mean, I would rather take it in a different way, but adversity builds character. We got to see the character of our team today, offense, defense, also special teams. When you face a good team and in critical situations, you're down going in the fourth quarter, we might be familiar with that along the season. So, for us to pull together as a team and to overcome whatever adversity it was and to beat these guys, I think we needed that as a team, definitely, for sure.”
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