Kansas City Chiefs star Chris Jones has offered an explanation for why he seemed to give up on the most important play of Monday night’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jones was blasted by fans for his lack of effort on the play where Trevor Lawrence scored a game-winning touchdown in the Week 5 game between the Chiefs and Jaguars at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Kansas City was leading 28-24 with 30 seconds remaining when Lawrence lost his footing on 1st-and-goal and fell down in the backfield.
Since Lawrence was not touched, he was able to get back to his feet and score a rushing touchdown to give the Jaguars the lead. Jones might have been able to stop Lawrence, but the star defensive tackle stood at the line of scrimmage and watched the play unfold. Jones was roasted on social media over the play.
On Thursday, Jones told reporters that he mistakenly thought Lawrence was down. He said he views it as a “teaching point.”
“It’s a teaching point. … It’s my job to finish. I’ll be better at it,” Jones said.
Chris Jones said he thought Trevor Lawrence was down on the final TD. “It’s a teaching point. … It’s my job to finish. I’ll be better at it.”
— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) October 9, 2025
Jones must have paid attention to the backlash, as he deactivated his social media account earlier this week.
There is hardly a guarantee that Jones would have been able to stop Lawrence, but it is never a good look for one of your highest-paid players and defensive leaders to be spectating on the most important play of the game. Jones has drawn some negative attention this season, and the latest was definitely avoidable. He seems to understand that.
