"They'll lose to Joe Burrow": Packers Super Bowl champion predicts Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs' fate amid Chris Jones contract debacle
James Jones, a Super Bowl champion wide receiver with the Green Bay Packers, is pessimistic about the Kansas City Chiefs' chances to defend the Super Bowl without Chris Jones.
Jones is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL, but he has held out as he's entering the final year of his deal.
It has been a concern for the Chiefs that Jones is not in the building, but the focus has now turned to the players as they prepare to face the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.
Recently, the former Packers WR said on the podcast "Speak" that he thinks the Chiefs aren't a Super Bowl contender without Jones on the D-Line.
"There is no championship, there is no Super Bowl without Chris Jones in that building... He's the Patrick Mahomes of the defense. Everything goes down on the defense, numbers-wise, statistics-wise, when he's not in the ball game. They are four and three when he's not in the ball game, right? That's average. With him in the ballgame, they're 48-11. That's excellent."
James believes Chris Jones is a game changer and can create problems for the offenses of the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills. He also added that without Jones upfront, the team won't have the ability to get after the QB as effectively, which will allow Burrow and Allen to have an advantage over them.
"You need Chris Jones in the building. If Chris Jones is not there on that football field, ready to play and be the Chris Jones that we know he can be, there's no Super Bowl for the Kansas City Chiefs. They will lose to Joe Burrow, they will lose to Josh Allen. I don't care who it is in that AFC. They're not getting it done without 95."
There is no word on when the defensive tackle will end his holdout. It is confirmed that he won't be in the lineup for the Chiefs' Week 1 game against the Lions.
Chris Jones' holdout
Chris Jones began his holdout by skipping offseason activities, which wasn't a huge issue, but it was a concern when he didn't attend training camp.
During his holdout, the Chiefs remained confident a new deal would be signed, and he would be ready for Week 1. However, it was reported that the sides remained very far apart over the new contract talks, and as of right now, there is no word on when he will be back.
In his career, Jones has played in 107 games and recorded 243 tackles and 65 sacks, including 15.5 sacks last season.