Five years ago, after the Kansas City Chiefs made a thrilling comeback to defeat the San Francisco 49ers in their first Super Bowl appearance in fifty years, Chris Jones sat down for an interview. When asked about the future, the defensive tackle, who was entering free agency for the first time, had a confident response.
“Next year we’re coming back,” Jones said with a smile. “We’re coming back for a repeat.”
Now, the Chiefs are aiming for a three-peat, and Jones has been part of every step of it.
Instead of hitting free agency in January 2020, Jones signed a long-term contract after being franchised. Then, last March, he signed an even bigger deal, which could see him play his entire career in Kansas City. Jones is now one of six veteran players who will be participating in their seventh consecutive AFC championship game when the Chiefs face the Buffalo Bills this Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I’m getting old,” Jones, 30, laughed. “It’s fun, though. It’s a challenge. Takes a lot of hard work, commitment, a lot of belief, a lot of encouragement throughout the year. A lot of unselfish play amongst the team to continue to do that.”
Jones added, “We had this message in chapel about climbing the mountaintop. You don’t want to stay up there because you can’t really breathe. The air is too thin. So you go back down. But the joy is climbing to the mountaintop.”
Few teams have managed to knock the Chiefs off their peak.
They’ve won four of the past six AFC championship games. Both of their losses were in overtime: to the Patriots in 2019, the first year of their title-game streak, and to the Bengals three years ago. When the Chiefs have made it to the Super Bowl, only Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have stopped Patrick Mahomes and the team from winning the Lombardi Trophy.
Mahomes is another of the six Chiefs players who have participated in all seven conference championship games. The first came in his first year as the starting quarterback, when he set records on his way to winning his first of two NFL MVP awards.
In that AFC championship game against the Patriots, Mahomes threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, but the Chiefs lost. Mahomes still talks about how that loss in Arrowhead Stadium motivated him in future seasons.
“Obviously, you want to win three in a row,” Mahomes said. “But building those memories with the guys and with the community every single year is special. When I look back at all the different Super Bowls we’ve won, I look back at special moments that we’ve had and special games that we’ve had. We’ll try to do that the same this year.
“I mean, it has been a fun run up to this point,” Mahomes continued, “but we want to get to that ultimate goal.”
Many of the key players on this team know what it takes to reach that goal.
In addition to Jones and Mahomes, four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce has been there for all seven AFC title games. Kelce had seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs’ divisional win over the Houston Texans last Saturday. Defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, long snapper James Winchester, and kicker Harrison Butker have also been around for all seven championship games.
While the Chiefs have had other stars over the years, like Tyrann Mathieu, who was the leader of the defense at the start of their seven-year run, and Tyreek Hill, who played a major role in their explosive offense, the six players who have been part of every AFC title game have combined for 945 games with the Chiefs, including 121 playoff games. Those playoff games are particularly significant, as a single loss could have ended the Chiefs’ remarkable streak.
“There is something to be said for that experience, especially when the calendar reaches the end of January,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “The experience helps, especially with some of the younger guys, to be able to talk to them and tell them about the urgency of this thing.
It’s single elimination. That’s easier said than putting that in your brain and getting yourself right for every snap that you have at practice, to practice hard and be aggressive with. You just have to make sure you stay really focused and don’t let the distractions in there the best you can.”
