The Kansas City Chiefs have not lost to the San Francisco 49ers in a decade, winning each of their six head-to-head matchups in that span.
How much that plays into Super Bowl Sunday in a little over one week remains to be seen, but two players that figure to have something to say about it are Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones and 49ers tight end George Kittle.
Kittle was full of praise for the impact Jones can have on a game.
“Chris Jones is really good at football,” Kittle told reporters on February 2. “Every time you give him a 1-on-1, he seems to dominate it. Put him out on the edge versus the tackles, he does a really good job over there. They usually go at the right tackle, so he does a really good job just doing that by himself.”
George Kittle Talks Up Chris Jones as 49ers Prepare for Chiefs, Super Bowl
‘George Kittle You Have to Account for’ Chiefs’ Chris Jones
“I don’t block him very often; maybe once in a while. I would just say he is a very dominant player. He’s incredibly physical, he’s huge, he’s very hard to block 1-on-1. Like I said, when you have a guy on the interior that’s as dominant as that guy is, you have to account for him with like three hands or two sets of hands.”
Jones’ 29, finished the season with 10.5 sacks, his third time posting double-digit sacks in his career, despite missing all of training camp, preseason, and Week 1 of the regular season.
He graded out as the seventh-best defensive lineman, per Pro Football Focus.
Pass-rush productivity ranks out of 60 qualifying DTs…
1. Chris Jones, KC
8. Arik Armstead, SF
14. Javon Hargrave, SF
25. Javon Kinlaw, SF
48. Tershawn Wharton, KC(For comparison, DeForest Buckner ranked #16)
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) February 3, 2024
The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Jones has been credited with just one half-sack and five pressures this postseason. But, as Kittle noted, it isn’t just about Jones’ production. It’s also about the effect his presence has on the rest of the Chiefs’ defense.
“Because of all the double-teams, he frees up all the other guys on the d-line,” Kittle said of the five-time Pro Bowler and back-to-back All-Pro, Jones.
“When you’re doing that, it just allows all the other guys to get all these 1-on-1 opportunities. And then, then you throw in they’ll put five guys on the line, or they might blitz somebody else, and then, hey, it’s leaving somebody 1-on-1 with Chris Jones and it’s like, ‘Hey, good luck!’ He’s amazing. One of the best players in the NFL.”
49ers Have to Treat Chiefs’ Chris Jones ‘Aaron Donald-ish’
Kittle noted Jones’ multiple appearances on the annual NFL Top 100 Players list.
Jones ranked No. 10 overall on the list, joining teammates Patrick Mahomes (No. 1) and Travis Kelce (No. 5). Kittle finished No. 19 overall on the list. He went on to compare Jones to Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, long considered to be the best at the position.
“You have to treat him kind of Aaron Donald-ish, where like he could wreck any drive,” Kittle said. “You just say, ‘Hey, we’re going to leave him 1-on-1, and then all of a sudden he swims through, tackles running back in the backfield for minus-five [yards], you’re looking at second-and-15, and it ruins the drive. So he’s just very, very good at wrecking plays.”
🔥One of the major keys to pass rushing is to match your hands to the type of punch your opponent uses.
For example, if you’re opponent attacks with a high hand punch…
…it would be best to use a lift or swipe against him.
Here’s an example of this from Chris Jones: pic.twitter.com/MAgn4m1jD5
— Craig Roh (@craigroh) January 29, 2024
Kittle did not limit his praise to Jones, either. He also had strong compliments for linebacker Nick Bolton.
George Kittle Praises Chiefs’ Defense
“32, Bolton I think is his last name, I think he’s one of the most underrated linebackers in the NFL,” Kittle said of the third-year linebacker. “I think he’s really good in coverage. He flies around. … He doesn’t get the recognition for it, I don’t think, because there’s a lot of other linebackers that play at a high level too.
“When you think of the Chiefs, you just think about [Patrick] Mahomes and [Travis] Kelce and Chris Jones. So I think he’s been on their level.”
Kittle also noted how well the Chiefs’ young secondary has played.
Their ability to not get confused by pre-snap motions impressed him, as did the team’s ability to be in this position despite not being the juggernaut we had become accustomed to seeing during the regular season.
Main Photo: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
