KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones stood on the 7-yard line at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday when he made a decision: This wasn’t what it should be like.
Sure, this fourth-quarter sequence was the lowest point of the Chiefs’ 23-20 overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts. And, bigger picture, it might’ve been the rock-bottom moment for K.C.’s rocky season — with a 5-5 record then that seemed destined, at that instant, only to get worse.
The Chiefs were trailing 20-9 with 14:48 left. A promising offensive drive had just ended with running back Kareem Hunt losing a red zone fumble before chucking his helmet in frustration on the sideline.
That mood? That “here we go again” thought that was circulating the concourse after the Chiefs struggled in yet another clutch situation this season?
Jones wasn’t here for it. And he wasn’t going to let that negativity linger, either.
“Things tend to happen — great things tend to happen for us,” Jones said, smiling after the game, “when everyone is hyped.”
Jones made sure it got that way. Check your DVR copy of the game, and you can trace the exact second when Sunday’s game started to turn for the Chiefs.
And that was during a timeout — when the ball wasn’t even in play.
While standing on the 7, Jones turned toward the corner of Arrowhead Stadium and Section 131. He pumped his right arm three times, willing the fans to start getting loud. Slowly but surely, they got out of their lull and started to do that.
Next, Jones faced the fans above the Colts’ sideline. Both arms went skyward this time, followed by his right hand shooting upward. A bit louder.
Next was a nod toward the fans in the end zone and a right-hand pump. Then a pace toward the Chiefs’ sideline, with both arms gyrating.
By the time the TV broadcast picked up the sound, those at home could start to feel exactly what everyone was experiencing at K.C.’s home stadium.
And that included Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the sideline, who said what happened next was a “special moment.”
“You could feel the energy. I’m telling you. You could feel the energy of the defense, the stadium,” Mahomes said. “It was kind of, ‘We’re not going to lose this game. We’re gonna find a way to win.’”
Thing is, the All-Pro Jones did more than start this fury with his exaggerated antics. He also backed it up with his play immediately afterward.
First down for the Colts, and their run play had no chance. Jones was the first player across the line of scrimmage to completely sidetrack things, as linebackers Drue Tranquill and Nick Bolton combined on a tackle for a 2-yard loss.
Jones hopped up twice after that, pumping his right fist toward the crowd. Then he raised his left arm again.
Time to get louder.
The Colts’ next pass was tipped at the line to go incomplete. The Chiefs then had pressure streaming in from all sides on third down as quarterback Daniel Jones threw another incompletion.
Three-and-out for the Colts. Some life for the Chiefs down 11.
And suddenly, after inheriting a situation with an 11 percent win probability, according to rbsdm.com’s NFL model, the Chiefs had much more than a defensive stop on a mild Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium.
They also had some belief.
“For me, it’s just about keeping the fans in tune, giving them momentum, making it loud, creating chaos. And also, it energizes the defense,” Jones said of his gestures before first down. “I think energy is contagious, so you’ve got to continue to promote it, especially critical moments like that in a game.”
This much can’t be denied: The turning point of Sunday’s game — and potentially the Chiefs’ entire season — started with Jones.
And from that point on, K.C.’s defense forced four consecutive three-and-outs. Mahomes rallied the offense for three consecutive scoring drives, including two that went 80-plus yards.
It all ended with a Harrison Butker game-winning 27-yard field goal in overtime, pushing the Chiefs to 6-5 to keep their playoff chances in a healthy spot, even after all the upheaval of the past few weeks.
Afterward, though, Mahomes most wanted to talk about the vibes — especially those when his team trailed by 11 with less than a quarter to go.
“There was a feeling that you had in Arrowhead. You could see the fans were behind us,” Mahomes said. “They didn’t hang their heads because it was a fumble. They said, ‘We’re gonna be with y’all through the end, through this all.’ I thought that was really cool. You could feel that momentum swing in our favor, even after a bad play for us.”
And though it’s been a trying season for Jones, he was the catalyst for the ripple that could transform the rest of this season.
It’s been a frustrating start to his year. The 31-year-old’s defensive stats are down across the board in 2025, and even he took some time during the recent bye week for self-evaluation after acknowledging he’s his own “biggest critic.”
“I think for me personally,” Jones said, “I’ve got to show up to the rest of these games.”
Sunday was certainly an impressive start. Jones was disruptive all game, registering two QB hits while constantly hounding Jones in the Colts’ backfield.
He also took advantage of his stature to revive a dormant Arrowhead Stadium. While the Chiefs have other defensive leaders — Bolton and cornerback Trent McDuffie included — Jones is the vocal one. He’s paid the most and has the personality best equipped to step into the limelight when he believes something needs to change.
Behind Jones, the Chiefs defense held the Colts to 18 total yards on their final four possessions. Coach Andy Reid described the effort as “crazy” and, before that, singled out Jones in his locker-room message to the team, saying he was the one who “got the defense rolling.”
Big win. Now back to work. pic.twitter.com/t9J3KNKWHq
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 23, 2025
“We executed at a high level,” Jones said, “all phases of our defense.”
Mahomes made an admission Sunday just before his news conference with reporters ended. He said he was glad that Hunt’s fumble had happened at Arrowhead on this day, rather than elsewhere on the road. Otherwise, the Chiefs probably wouldn’t have gotten the kind of lift they desperately needed.
“I thought that really did change the outcome of the game,” Mahomes said.
Jones, meanwhile, says this needs to be the start of something more. The Chiefs face additional must-win games, starting with Thursday’s road matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. And his preference would be for K.C. to pick up some easier wins, too.
For one game at least, the Chiefs proved they could come through in big moments. They showed they could withstand tough times. They lifted themselves, even when it looked the bleakest.
And, on this day, they had their defensive leader to thank for that.
“Adversity builds character,” Jones said. “We got to see the character of our team today.”
