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Christmas is a religious or spiritual time for many, but for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024, there’s also a football game to prepare for on Christmas Day. And for superstar defensive lineman Chris Jones, there’s a nagging calf strain to sort out before Wednesday.
Jones has yet to practice this week as of December 23, and although head coach Andy Reid noted that the integral defender is making improvements, he also stressed that it’s a very quick turnaround for his team in Week 17. Currently, that leaves Jones with a “questionable” outlook heading into Christmas Eve.
Despite that, Jones shared the following message with X followers on the evening of December 23.
“Thank you God!” He wrote — perhaps in the spirit of the holidays or perhaps in relation to his injury.
Either way, the thankful but cryptic post caught the attention of Chiefs Kingdom, as Jones’ message accumulated over 4.4K likes and a whole lot of comments in about 15 hours.
“Yes sir, hope your calf is healing up,” one fan responded. “Don’t rush it [No.] 95, get healthy, your brothers will stand in and get job done if you cannot.”
Another said: “Get some rest 👑. Come back strong for the playoffs.”
And a third agreed: “Amen! But you take it easy now, hear? Need you for years, not just months!”
Others wished Jones a “Merry Christmas” or seconded his holy message, but few urged the game wrecker to play on a bad calf, if any. Calf strains are always precarious injuries for older athletes because they are sometimes the precursor to a torn Achilles.
At age 30, that unfortunately puts Jones in an area of concern — especially on three days’ rest from Saturday to Wednesday. We’ll see if caution wins out for Jones against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chris Jones’ Position Puts Extra Strain on the Calf
It’s not just Jones’ age that the KC medical staff has to account for, it’s also his position.
Pass rushers always reference an NFL term called “get-off.” This term represents how quickly a defensive lineman gets himself out of his stance and off the line of scrimmage as the ball is snapped. Typically, the faster the get-off, the better the pass rusher.
Unfortunately, get-off puts added strain and pressure on an athlete’s calf. It’s part of why a torn Achilles can be very difficult to overcome for players at this position.
For example, after signing a $45 million contract with the New York Jets in 2021, defensive end Carl Lawson ruptured his Achilles tendon. He returned in 2022 after missing the entire 2021 campaign, but his pressure rate regressed a bit according to Pro Football Focus.
By 2023, he was a healthy scratch more often than not.
The Achilles injury was a big reason for that, as Lawson’s get-off took some time to get back to where it was pre-injury. Now, in 2024, the veteran pass rusher is having a slight 5-sack resurgence with the Dallas Cowboys, but his pressure rate is still way down from where it was during his final season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020.
A cautionary tale for the Chiefs and Jones.
Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor ‘Limited’ on Monday
Along with Jones, Chiefs nickelback Chamarri Conner (concussion) and veteran offensive tackle D.J. Humphries (hamstring) both missed each of the first two practices of Week 17. There was a fourth injury issue that continued on December 23, however.
For two straight practices, Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor has been “limited” with a knee strain.
It’s possible that Kansas City is just giving Taylor a lighter workload with the short week, but this is something to watch as we lead up to kickoff. Especially when you consider the Chiefs’ 2024 issues at offensive tackle and Patrick Mahomes’ recent ankle injury.
