ClutchPoints
The Cincinnati Bengals did not make this year’s playoffs but have plenty of experience playing against the Kansas City Chiefs. Their regular-season battles have been all-time classics and both of their AFC Championship Game matchups came down to the wire. But Joe Burrow said that when his Bengals face Kansas City, the idea of facing Chris Jones makes him nervous.
“Chris Jones,” Burrow said to Dan Patrick’s question about who makes him nervous, “because after Aaron Donald retired, there aren’t a ton of interior guys that can cause as much disruption as he can. He is fast, he’s athletic, they move him all around and can play him at end, they play him inside…it really depends on what offensive lineman he wants to rush up against.”
Jones is playing in another Super Bowl after another fantastic playoff run. He got to the quarterback in both of their AFC playoff games and sacked CJ Stroud to help secure the victory over Houston. In the past, he has destroyed playoff games, including his two sacks in the 2022 AFC Championship Game against Burrow and the Bengals.
The Bengals struggled last year because their defense was poor. So it is likely frustrating for Burrow to see one of the league’s great defensive players with his biggest rival.
The Bengals responded to their poor season by firing defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Just a few years after he got head coaching interviews, he was let go and latched on with the Indianapolis Colts. The defense has big names on it but they do not have the guy who makes quarterbacks nervous like Chris Jones.
Trey Hendrickson led the league in sacks last year and puts up great stats year over year. But with no one next to him who can draw double teams, he gets eliminated from some big games. The Bengals have a big free agent in Tee Higgins that they should try and bring back but not if it prevents bringing in big defensive names.
The AFC is chock full of incredible teams. With Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes vying for Super Bowls, defense makes the difference. That’s why Chris Jones has been so important and why the Chiefs have made five of the last six Super Bowls. To compete with them, the Bengals need their version and Burrow knows that better than anyone.
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