KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Five years ago, after the Kansas City Chiefs had just rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers in their first Super Bowl appearance in five decades, Chris Jones settled behind a dais and was asked about what the future held for him.
Now a three-time All-Pro defensive tackle, Jones was heading into free agency for the first time back then.
“Next year we’re coming back,” he replied with a smile. "We’re coming back for a repeat.”
This year, the Chiefs are going for a three-peat. And the good-natured, game-wrecking Jones has been there for it all.
Rather than hitting free agency back in January 2020, and after getting franchised, Jones signed a long-term contract to stay in Kansas City. He signed another, bigger deal last March, one that could mean Jones plays his entire career here. And that makes him one of six elder statesman for a franchise in the midst of a dynasty — those that will have played in seven consecutive AFC championship games when the Chiefs face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I'm getting old,” Jones, 30, said with a laugh. "It's fun, though. It's a challenge. Takes a lot of hard work, commitment, a lot of belief, a lot of encouragement throughout the year. A lot of unselfish play amongst the team to continue to do that.
“We had this message in chapel about climbing the mountaintop,” Jones added. “You don't want to stay up there because you can't really breathe. The air is too thin. So you go back down. But the joy is climbing to the mountaintop.”
Few teams have managed to knock the Chiefs from the top of the mountain.
They've won four of the past six AFC championship games, and both losses came in overtime: to the Patriots in the first of their title-game streak in 2019 and to the Bengals three years ago. When they've reached the Super Bowl, only Tom Brady and Tampa Bay have managed to stop Patrick Mahomes and Co. from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Mahomes is another of the six Chiefs players who have been there for all seven conference championship games. The first came in his first year as the starter, when he shredded records on the way to earning the first of his two NFL MVP awards. In that matchup with the Patriots, he threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in the losing effort.
To this day, Mahomes talks about how that loss inside Arrowhead Stadium fueled him to all those future championships.
“Obviously, you want to win three in a row,” Mahomes said, “but building those memories with the guys and with the community every single year is special. When I look back at all the different Super Bowls we’ve won, I look back at special moments that we’ve had and special games that we’ve had. We’ll try to do that the same this year.
“I mean, it has been a fun run up to this point,” Mahomes said, "but we want to get to that ultimate goal.”
There's quite a few of them that know how to get there.
Along with Jones and Mahomes, four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce — who had seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs' divisional win over Houston last Saturday — has been there for all seven AFC title games. So have Derrick Nnadi, a perpetually overlooked but solid defensive tackle, long snapper James Winchester and kicker Harrison Butker.
Sure, there have been supplemental stars along the way. Tyrann Mathieu was the anchor of the defense at the start of the Chiefs' seven-year run, and Tyreek Hill was a big part of their record-setting offenses. And there have been role players, such as running back Damien Williams and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who shared in the collective success.
But those six that have been around for it all? They've combined to play 945 games for the Chiefs, and 121 of those have been in the playoffs, when a single loss — a single mistake, really — could have ended such an incredible run.
There is something to be said for that experience, especially when the calendar reaches the end of January.
“The experience helps,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Especially with some of the younger guys to be able to talk to them and tell them about the urgency of this thing. It's single elimination. That's easier said than putting that in your brain and getting yourself right for every snap that you have at practice, to practice hard and be aggressive with. You just have to make sure you stay really focused and don't let the distractions in there the best you can.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
