KC Chiefs DL Chris Jones on Injury Status and Being 'Villains' in Super Bowl LVIII
The NFL kicked off the week of Super Bowl LVIII with Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday, where the Kansas City Chiefs took the field to take questions in Las Vegas. In a conversation with Michael Robinson of NFL Network, Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones provided one of the most important injury updates of the night and provided insight into the Chiefs' mindset ahead of Sunday's showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.
Chris Jones injury update for Super Bowl LVIII
Jones was a limited participant for Thursday and Friday's practices in Kansas City due to what the team labeled as a quad injury. While he did not receive a week-early injury designation for the Super Bowl, it still brought cause for concern for Jones's health. Robinson asked Jones for the latest about his quad, and Jones downplayed the severity.
"Yeah, so far, I'm healthy," Jones said. "I was able to rest it last week with the week off, got a few days to rest it, but I feel pretty good right now."
Chris Jones on why the Chiefs are the villain
Robinson then asked Jones if the Chiefs feel like the villains in this year's Super Bowl showdown, and Jones didn't hesitate to answer.
"Absolutely," Jones began. "For some reason, everybody used to love us. We used to be one of the most favorite teams. And now everybody's like, 'We're ready for the Chiefs to lose.' I don't know why what changed, what dramatic incidents happened to where everybody felt like we should lose now, but that's okay. They can continue hating."
Chris Jones on Christian McCaffrey and Steve Spagnuolo
The conversation later turned to the Chiefs' matchup with the 49ers, when Robinson asked Jones about the Niners' strong running game with running back Christian McCaffrey, and Jones was effusive in his praise.
"Listen, in Spags we trust, man," Jones said, referring to the defense's new unofficial slogan with an official t-shirt, highlighting defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
"Spags has been doing a heck of a job all year with his scheme, and he's been gameplanning us well," Jones continued. "Christian McCaffrey is one of the best backs in the league if not the best back in the league, MVP-caliber player, Offensive Player of the Year for me. He's been doing this thing all year, so trying to slow him down, it's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough. We're gonna watch a little more film, hopefully we figure something out where we can slow him down."
