If the Kansas City Chiefs clinch the top spot in the AFC today, they’ll have to do it without their Pro Bowl defender. Does this change the Chiefs game plan defensively?
Finally, there is a three-game, eleven-day turnaround, but the Chiefs are in the tailbone. Chris Jones, arguably one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL, will likely sit out Wednesday as his team faces the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Per ESPN Insider Adam Schefter, Jones has not recovered from the calf injury he sustained last Saturday in the Chiefs 27-19 victory over the Houston Texans. With the team facing a must-win to avoid playing their starters and walking wounded in the season finale at Denver, the Chiefs need to find a way to overcome even more obstacles in their quest for the top spot in the AFC.
With the short week, the task for Kansas City to win on Christmas Day just made that outcome more difficult without Jones on defense. That means Charles Omenihu will have to become a one-man wrecking ball today to pick up the slack.
It also means Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will have to dial up some blitz packages to get pressure on Steelers Quarterback Russell Wilson.
On the slip side, this might be a game in which Patrick Mahomes lights up the Steeler’s secondary. With all his offensive weapons at his disposal today, if he can execute a dominating performance, it won’t matter what the Chiefs defense does without their star defender.
